


If You Were Mine

by jhearts



Category: Orange is the New Black
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-09-03 01:32:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 68,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8691313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jhearts/pseuds/jhearts
Summary: Something has always been missing from Piper Chapman's life but when she meets substitute Professor Alex Vause her world turns upside down and everything changes. Will they be able to play by the rules or will they give in to temptation? AU. Vauseman.





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> So, I wrote this fic a while ago now but I was unsure whether to post it here or not. Decided to bite the bullet and go with it. Enjoy!

"FUCK" Piper screamed as she glanced at the alarm clock on her night stand. "Why the hell didn't you wake me, Larry?" She turned to her sleeping, dead to the world boyfriend and waited for an answer.

"LARRY" she shouted as she pushed the scruffy, dark haired man so hard he had to grab the side of the bed to stop himself from hitting the wooden floor.

"Piper, why are you shouting? It's Monday morning for God's sake." Larry replied. At least that's what Piper thought he said. She couldn't really make it out in between all the yawning and eye rubbing.

"Now come on, back to bed and we can have some fun" He continued as he wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist and placed his lips on the woman's neck.

"It's 9:15 Larry. My Marketing Management seminar starts in 45 minutes and I have crazy lady bed hair, I look like shit and still have yesterday's underwear on" she replied quickly escaping Larry's clutches.

"You look as beautiful as you did the day I met you"

"Fuck you" Piper replied with a hint of a smile on her face.

"You said you had 45 minutes until your class so by my calculations that gives us around 15 minutes to make the most of each other…I'd say that's more than enough time…wouldn't you?" A mischievous grin appeared across Larry's face.

"Larry, stop. I'm serious about this. I have 3 weeks to try and learn this shit" Piper said while she tossed clothes around the room looking for something that was almost wearable.

"Pipes, relax. It's only one class, you can catch up next time…Come on, you're not going to leave me here all alone in this big, warm, comfortable bed are you?"

"Larry, don't do that" Piper replied. "You know how important this class is. In less than a month, the semester will be over and I really don't think my parents will be too pleased when they find out their genius daughter failed all her classes because she spent too many mornings in bed with her boyfriend."

Piper's parents had high hopes for their daughter's future and anything less than raving success wouldn't be good enough for the affluent Carol and Bill Chapman. Piper's father was a Director at one of New York's biggest marketing and PR companies. Piper hated those companies almost as much as she hated their employees. You know the type – where all the girls look like Barbie dolls and every guy thinks he's God with a sports car.

Bill Chapman had worked in sales for most of his life and he was used to getting what he wanted - both professionally and personally. He and his wife had witnessed their attempts fail with their son, Cal, who was now 'happily unemployed' despite their best efforts. The Chapman's didn't take pride in seeing their son with no ambition – regardless of how happy he said he was. They saw it as an embarrassment to the family name and vowed never to let Piper get into the same mess. The truth was, Cal was happy in his own world, doing his own thing with nothing to worry about other than tomorrow's weather. 'More exhilarating than embarrassing' Piper often thought to herself. But she could never live happily again if she let her family down like Cal did – her parents would make that an impossible task.

Bill took it upon himself to negotiate a deal with one of the Senior Partners at the firm and he was guaranteed that Piper would be offered a position within the company after she graduated. Bill knew it was a risk. He would be responsible for Piper and for all the mistakes she would probably make while she was under his supervision. 'Still, it had to be better than another unemployed child' he thought to himself.

"YES. She got it, Carol." Bill enthusiastically shouted through the phone to his wife. Both of them took great delight knowing that Piper would have a stable, safe and respectable job. However, much like their son, Piper's happiness and comfort – or lack thereof – never came into consideration.

"Wow, Dad, that is so kind of you. Thank you. I can't wait" She lied to her Dad when he told her the news.

Piper always wanted to make her parents proud and even though she wasn't jumping for joy at the thought of heading straight into a creatively challenging and overly stressful environment straight after college, this was being handed to her on a plate so she wouldn't be stupid enough to turn it down.

"You're welcome, sweetie. Now, just make sure you graduate!" Her Mom chimed in.

That was easier said than done, Piper thought to herself. She was smart, at least she used to be. All through high school Piper would finish each year top of her class. Even now, when she looked around her apartment, there were books everywhere. Jane Austen here, Mark Twain there and Stephen King in the corner. She was never without a book in her hand. Even on the crowded Subway first thing in the morning surrounded by sweaty men with bad breath, she would be perfectly relaxed in her own world reading her favourite book and imagining herself being somewhere else completely.

Things changed when Piper started at Litchfield University. She often asked herself what caused this change. She couldn't concentrate as much in class and she never even thought of looking at a textbook unless there was a Professor telling her to do so. She put this down to turning 21, getting her own place, too many parties or even just the freedom that comes with going to University. She had done ok in her first 3 years at the school but she was on a slippery slope. She needed these last few weeks of her final semester to go well or she could kiss her graduation, her work placement and her parents pride in her goodbye.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot. Get ready and I'll drop you off" Larry replied apologetically.

"No. I'll be quicker on the subway. But, thanks." Piper said as she practically ran into the shower.

Piper was never one for quick showers. Being in the shower was one of her favourite places to be – whether she was there alone or someone joined her. She enjoyed the feeling of the warm water on her skin covering her body. Getting clean in a relaxing, hot shower was her favourite way to start the day. Today wasn't that day. She was in and out of the shower in 4 minutes. She knew this was the exact length of time as she was consistently checking her phone to calculate just how late she would be to her first class of the day. 'It's all right' she thought to herself as she stepped out of the shower onto the cold marble bathroom floor beneath her. 'Professor Peters is old. She probably won't even see me if I sneak in quietly.'

"Shit" she shouted as she checked the time once more.

She looked in the mirror and ran her fingers through her short blonde hair. There was no time for her to even think about straightening it, so she decided to leave it as it was. 'Wavy hair is in fashion now anyway…right?!' She thought to herself while brushing her already pristine white teeth.

Piper dashed out of the bathroom, noticing that Larry had fallen back asleep on her bed.

"Ass" she said quietly, jealous that she wasn't in his exact situation right now.

Jealousy was never good on Piper, she hated being jealous of someone or knowing she couldn't have something – it drove her crazy.

Through the piles of clothes covering the bedroom floor, Piper finally found something to wear. Navy ripped jeans and a plain white tee.

"Man, everyone is going to be so impressed by how much time and effort I put into my outfit today" she said sarcastically, to herself.

The truth is, Piper could wear a paper bag and still get wolf whistles in the street. She was naturally beautiful. Tall but not too tall and thin without being skinny. Her golden blonde hair sat perfectly on her shoulders and her eyes often captivated anyone who was lucky enough to get close to them.

"Hmm?" Larry – being one of the lucky ones - questioned as he awoke for the second time that morning.

"Nothing, babe. I have to go. There's coffee in the kitchen. Polly is out all day so stay as long as you want." Piper shouted – her voice getting quieter and quieter as she ran towards the front door.

"Ok have a good day, Pipes. I love…" Larry couldn't finish his sentence. He was interrupted by Piper slamming the front door shut.

* * *

 

"Man, I can't believe it's your first day already! You nervous?" Nicky Nichols asked her dark haired friend who sat opposite her in the local Starbucks while she sipped on her skinny caramel latte and checked out the hot waitress behind the counter.

"Actually, yeah I am a little. Trying to deal with kids only a few years younger than me is pretty daunting, you know?"

"Ah come on Vause. It's the kids who should be nervous"

"I don't think we can really classify 22 year olds as kids anymore though" Vause replied, checking her watch anxiously.

It was Alex Vause's first day teaching at Litchfield University. She had never taught anyone anything before – unless you count teaching her best friend how to kiss when they were younger. And even that experience didn't go well - thankfully her skills have improved massively in that area over the years. She landed this placement through an old friend who knew a Professor at the University. When she was told they had an opening for a substitute Professor, she immediately put her name forward - expecting to hear nothing more of the opportunity. However, thanks to Alex's enthusiasm and ambition when talking about her future teaching career coupled with her friends glowing recommendation and Professor Hasting's need to find a substitute quickly, she got the job.

She felt her stomach drop as she checked her watch for the hundredth time that morning. Alex Vause didn't get nervous easily. Hell, everyone knew her as the badass who always got whatever – or whoever – she wanted. But right now, in this moment, sitting in this coffee shop one hour before her teaching her first class she couldn't recall ever feeling so scared.

"Hey, it's only a few weeks. Then you can get the hell out of there and get on with your life." Nicky replied as she grabbed her coffee and headed for the exit. Nicky winked at the waitress behind the counter before turning back to her best friend "Kick some ass today, Professor Vause!"

Alex smiled as she watched her frizzy haired friend head out the door and step onto the hot, sunny and crowded New York City sidewalk. Nicky was half right, Alex thought to herself. She only had to teach at Litchfield for 4 weeks. If everything went well she would get the position at NYU which she had been after for months. 'No fucking up' Alex repeatedly said to herself as she downed the rest of her Americano, put on her black leather jacket and got ready to make her way to Litchfield for the first time.

Alex stood up and immediately noticed the guys in the group that sat at the table next to her instantly direct their eyes towards the brunette. She could feel their gaze on her as she made her way towards the exit. Alex was used to guys and girls alike finding her attractive. She was tall. Very tall. She had a deep voice which she hated but everyone else found incredibly sexy. And her long jet black hair sat perfectly on her chest.

"Um hey.. Excuse me?" Alex heard someone call out to her as she reached out to open the door.

She spun her head around to be greeted by a plain looking guy in a grey hoodie waving at her to come over to their table.

Figuring that she'd forgotten something, she turned around and made her way back to the table she'd just vacated.

"Yeah?" She questioned as she looked at her coffee shop neighbours.

The guy in question stood up and walked towards her. He was incredibly thin, in desperate need of a shave and his long light brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. 'Oh God, I really don't have time for this' she thought to herself as the guy got closer.

"Hey. I'm Johnny. Sorry for shouting on you, I just wanted to say hey really" He said nervously, his voice shaking.

"Do I know you?"

"Um..no..I don't think so"

"Ok…" Alex said, waiting for Johnny to continue.

"I thought I'd tell you that you look absolutely incredible and I wondered if you'd maybe like to hang out some time." The man continued, waiting with bated breath for Alex's reply.

"Sorry, I don't think so" The raven haired woman replied as she turned on the heel of her biker boots and made her way to the exit once more.

"Oh come on gorgeous, just one drink?"

"Listen, Johnny, I'm running late so I'm gonna save you some time here." Alex replied as she turned to face Johnny, this time with a slight annoyance in her voice.

"I'm more interested in taking your friend over here out for drinks.." she continued looking towards the beautiful tanned brunette girl sat at Johnny's table "..than I am of ever seeing you again."

"Wow, what a bitch" she heard Johnny whisper as she made her way to the exit.

Johnny got the message. He walked back to his seat feeling slightly ridiculed while the tanned girl next to him looked at the floor trying to hide the smile that was plastered all over her face.

Finally, Alex managed to get out of the coffee shop. Her long black hair blew gently in the wind as the breeze hit her face. Her watch read 9:05. '55 minutes to go' she thought as she strapped on her helmet, her leather gloves, threw her right leg over her motorbike and started the engine.

'Why do I always get the crazies hit on me? Why is it never anyone who I'm actually interested in?' Alex thought about these questions as she sped through the queues of traffic on the highway slowly seeing the outline of the Litchfield campus get closer.

* * *

 

"Hi. I'm Alex Vause. I'm here to see Professor.."

"MISS VAUSE" she was interrupted by Professor Hastings coming towards her as he pushed his way through the doors of the main Litchfield lobby.

"It's so good to have you here. All ready for your first day?" The professor enquired.

"Absolutely" Alex replied with a slight confidence that even took her by surprise.

"Great. Let me give you the tour." He said opening the door and gesturing for Alex to take the lead.

Professor Hastings was the head of the Marketing department at the University. He was also the one who got her this job. So she had to be on her best behaviour when he was around – something Alex was never very good at.

They walked around the campus together, with Alex towering over him. Professor Hastings was a small man – he couldn't have been more than 5ft5. Alex had come to this conclusion while the Professor was boring her to death with a story about the history of the university. He was in his 60's. He had white hair – balding in the middle, a white moustache and wore small oval-shaped glasses.

Alex could feel the students' eyes on her as she entered the Business Studies building – her second home for the next few weeks.

"Who's the new girl? She's hot" she overheard a young man in a 'Litchfield Soccer Team' t-shirt ask his teammate as Alex passed them in the corridor.

A small smile appeared on her face. 'I guess I'm not that old after all' she thought to herself as she nodded along to whatever Litchfield history facts Professor Hastings was rhyming off now.

As they walked through the halls filled with students, Alex couldn't help but notice how aged the University looked and how she'd hate to have to work at such an old fashioned institution permanently.

"So, what do you think, Alex?" The professor inquired as they stepped in to a large and spacious but very dark office on the top floor of the Business building.

"Love it. Very modern." Alex lied. She had to stay on the Professors good side.

He chuckled "Glad you think so. This is Professor Peters' office. Obviously she won't be using it for the next few weeks while she's on jury duty so it's all yours." He said as he walked towards the door.

"I have to get going – I have a quick meeting with the faculty before my lectures begin. Make yourself at home. And good luck with your first class" Professor Hastings continued as he exited the office.

"Thanks" Alex shouted after him, but he was already gone.

Alex looked around the office. It was dimly lit with a large desk in the corner facing the door and a brown leather couch opposite the window. It was going to take a lot of effort to make this hole feel like home but she'd do her best.

"All right Vause. Time to get to work" Alex said out loud as she grabbed her papers and headed to the classroom.

* * *

 

Alex arrived at the classroom 10 minutes before start time. She figured she'd need that time to do all the important stuff she had to do. Like, become familiar with the layout of the class and write her name on the whiteboard. You know, essential stuff. 'MISS VAUSE'…No that's too formal she thought. 'PROFESSOR VAUSE'…Too pretentious. 'MISS ALEX'… "That's just weird" she said out loud to herself as she settled on writing ALEX VAUSE in capital letters across the board.

The new professor thought she was feeling a bit more confident about teaching her first class but her stomach dropped again when her first student arrived.

"Um…I'm looking for the Advanced Marketing Management seminar?" The young man asked Alex looking rather confused.

"You've found it. Come in." The brunette replied.

Before she knew it, the room was filled with 29 young adults all in their twenties looking at her expectedly. 'Here goes nothing' Alex thought to herself as she put on her dark-rimmed glasses, stood up from her chair and made her way to the front of her desk.

"All right everyone." Alex started as she sat on the edge of her desk and faced her new class.

"I'm professor Vause – but please don't call me that because it makes me sound much older than my short 26 years. You can call me Alex..."

"Looking good Alex" whispered one of the boys in the second row as he smiled and winked at his new professor.

Alex ignored his incredibly inappropriate comments and continued "...I know you were expecting to see Professor Peters here today but she's currently enjoying some free lunches and time away from you guys on jury duty so you're stuck with me for the rest of the semester"

"Fine with me" Alex's admirer in the second row continued.

Once again, she ignored him while the voice in her head repeated 'shut the fuck up dipshit.'

"…I like to think I'm a pretty cool teacher. You can turn up to my class if you want to. If you're not here I'm not gonna chase you down or call you out on it. It's not me who'll be sitting these exams in a few weeks. I won't stand for any bullshit though. So be honest with me and I'll be honest with you. I think we can..."

Alex was interrupted by a figure she saw standing in her doorway at the corner of her eye.

"Can I help you?" Alex asked as she turned to face the blonde girl for the first time – a quiet "wow" escaping her lips as she suddenly found herself fascinated by the bright eyes staring back at her.

"Um...no...sorry. I'm late and I was just looking for the Professor…"

"I am the Professor" Alex said, not taking her eyes off the blonde still stood in the doorway.

"Oh. Oh I'm so sorry. I thought..."

"Stop apologising" Alex smiled and interrupted the girl before she got even more tripped up over her words.

"Take a seat, kid" Alex continued – her eyes following the student around the room as she took her seat in the front row.

"What's your name?" Alex enquired.

"Piper. Piper Chapman."


	2. First Day

"Be careful you don't fall and smack your head off the concrete floor, sweetie."

"Sorry, I'm just having a horrible start to the day"

"Don't worry, I'm sure your day will pick up, darling"

"Thanks Lucy, I hope so." Piper energetically said as she raced past the 4ft 10 campus cleaner and made her way down to the Marketing wing of the building.

Sweat was pouring off of her face and the little makeup she had on had now disappeared completely. It was an incredibly hot day in the city and the sun was beating down on Piper Chapman's face. Running through the crowded streets, up to the campus and now through the halls wasn't helping her cool down – in fact, it was making the problem a whole lot worse and beads of sweat began to drip down her cheek.

'Great. So now as well as being late, I'll be walking into class looking like I've just melted. Fan-fucking-tastic.' Piper thought to herself as she shook her head in frustration and the door of the classroom came into sight.

She took one final look at her watch '10:05. Only 5 minutes late. Impressive.' Piper thought as she stopped to fix her hair in the reflection of the trophy cabinet. She stood in front of the 'Student of the Year 2015' cup for a few seconds while she got her breath back and waited for her heart rate to slow down before calmly walking towards the classroom door.

'What will I say? How will I explain this to Professor Peters? She always causes a scene when someone is late. Maybe I'll blame it on the heat. Everything is more difficult when it's too hot, right? Or maybe I'll say I was in a minor accident. Yeah that works. I'll say that I stopped to help someone who was ill on the sidewalk. She's surely got to take pity on me then...'

Piper's trail of thought was abruptly cut short as she reached the classroom door. Professor Peters was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a tall, dark-haired, rock star looking woman was addressing the class.

'Who is she?' Piper wondered as she stood in the doorway with a confused look on her face and glanced around the classroom. For a second, she was sure she must be at the wrong classroom. The wrong floor, maybe. Heck, maybe she was in the wrong building - this heat was definitely affecting her more than it should be. Then she saw pervy Paul sitting in the second row staring at the mystery woman's chest – any doubts she had about this being her correct class vanished immediately.

She turned her attention back to the raven haired woman who stood just a few feet away from her. Piper had never seen her at Litchfield before – she was sure she would definitely have remembered her. 'Maybe she is a student. But why would a student be teaching a class...' Piper's daydream was once again interrupted when the woman in question spotted her.

"Can I help you?"

Suddenly Piper felt frozen to the spot. She struggled to get her words out while mumbling something about Professor Peters and immediately felt her cheeks turn a brighter shade of red.

"I am the Professor" the dark haired woman continued before asking Piper to take a seat.

Piper entered the class room and felt all eyes focused on her as she took her seat in the front row. Piper could feel one set of eyes fixated on her more than any others, however.

When she looked up to tell the new Professor her name, their eyes locked together for what felt like an eternity. In reality it was about 3 seconds but Piper found herself wishing that moment had lasted longer. Although she had dark, thick rimmed glasses on her face, the professor's eyes shone through the glass frames brightly. They were a light shade of green as far as Piper could tell – she wasn't sitting as close to the Professor as she'd like to have been. However, she could clearly make out the dark eyeliner that coated her eyelids.

'How can she be a professor?' Piper asked herself, still engrossed with the other woman's striking eyes.

'She's so young and... Hot' she surprised herself with this thought. Piper was used to finding women attractive. So far, however, no Professor at Litchfield had made the cut. Was that about to change? She couldn't deny the instant attraction she felt to the woman before her.

'God, get a grip Piper.' She said quietly to herself as she realised how ridiculous these thoughts were that ran through her mind.

The tall woman who stood before her did not look remotely like a Professor. Not even almost. She only looked a year or two older than Piper. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a black blouse completed with black lace-up biker boots. She saw a leather jacket draped over the woman's chair and realised this Professor was unlike any Professor she'd ever been taught by before. Ever.

Most of the teaching staff at Litchfield were older men whose skin sagged in all the wrong places and the visible hair coming from their nose and ears was enough to turn your stomach. It was refreshing, to say the least, for Piper to have an attractive face to look at until the end of the semester.

As the Professor looked at her, Piper suddenly forgot about all the stresses of that morning and was relieved she'd only missed 5 minutes of this class.

"Nice to meet you Piper. I'm Alex" the Professor said suddenly breaking the silence that in Piper's head had been going on for a lifetime.

"Good to meet you too, Alex"

Alex smiled at Piper before removing herself from the edge of the desk and addressing the rest of her students.

"All right, guys. If you can all turn to page 28, we can finally get started for the day."

* * *

 

"So I think that pretty much covers everything we had to discuss today. Does anyone have any questions?" Alex asked her new class as their textbooks simultaneously slammed shut and they made their way out of the door.

"I guess that's a no…" She whispered to herself as she made her way back to her desk.

Piper Chapman was busy packing up her books when she heard the now familiar, deep voice she'd be listening intently to for the past hour call on her.

"Piper, can I see you for a second?"

"Sure." Piper replied and waited for her classmates to leave the room before making her way to Alex's desk.

It took the other students a few minutes to grab their belongings and filter out of the room. Piper had noticed her heart started beating faster as she waited. 'Why was this?' She wondered. She convinced herself it was because she was worried Professor Vause might be angry with her timekeeping – making a bad first impression on a new professor was the last thing Piper needed in these last weeks of her University life. Deep down she knew it was much more than that. Something else was going on here. But what?

"Hey. I'm really sorry about being late today. It's just... my alarm clock didn't go off, it was hot and..."

"Piper…" Alex interrupted "…Don't worry about it. I don't care if you're late. As long as you're here I'm happy"

"Thanks" Piper replied, a small smile emerging from her lips.

"I just wanted to properly introduced myself to you since you weren't here at the beginning of class"

"Oh. Okay"

"So, I'm Alex Vause…but you can call me Alex and I'm subbing for Professor Peters until the end of the semester so you'll be seeing a lot more of me over the next few weeks."

"Oh, cool." Piper struggled to contain her delight at Alex's statement. The happiness must have shown on her face as Alex smiled in reply.

A moment of silence passed before Piper turned on her heel and began to walk towards the door.

"Piper…" Alex shouted as Piper neared the exit "…I meant to ask, do you know where the Murray Building is? I'm supposed to sit in on one of Professor Hastings lectures there in about 10 minutes but I have absolutely no idea where I'm going" She chuckled.

"Um yeah, it's across campus. Actually, I'm walking in that direction anyway... I could show you if you'd like?"

"That'd be great. Thanks." Alex replied before grabbing her jacket, and following Piper out of the door.

Piper and Alex walked down the stairs and through the student filled corridors together before stepping out into the warm sun and making their way across to the Murray Building at the opposite side of campus. The sun was still as hot as it had been a couple of hours before and Piper watched as Alex winced and covered her eyes as they walked across the freshly cut grass on a beautiful and bright Monday morning. Something was bothering Piper, however, and before she knew it, the words that were in her mind were now coming out of her mouth.

"So, how did you land here anyway? You don't look much older than me and I'm years away from even thinking of getting a proper job never mind becoming a Professor." She smiled.

"I think I have a couple years on you yet, kid" Alex replied as they got closer to their destination.

"Really? If that's true you certainly don't look it"

Alex hesitated before a softly spoken thanks escaped her mouth.

"You're welcome. This is you now. The main door to the Murray Building is right over there" Piper pointed as they reached the end of their short journey.

"Thanks Piper. See you next time in class" Alex replied as she turned and walked towards the door.

"Oh and hey..." Alex shouted back "...don't be late next time" She winked at Piper and within seconds had disappeared through the glass door.

Piper didn't even try to hide the smile that had just appeared on her face.

* * *

 

"So, how did I do? I hope I didn't bore you too much."

"No. That was great, Professor Hastings... really informative" Alex answered the professor as they exited the lecture theatre together.

"Oh listen to me…" the white haired man chucked "…Always looking for approval. What I should really be asking is how did your first class go? I hope they didn't cause you too much hassle"

"Oh, no trouble at all. I really enjoyed it actually." Alex told the truth. She had enjoyed her first class. She felt much more confident about the rest of the semester now that her first experience of teaching was not only over but it had actually been a success.

"Great. Any troublesome pupils?"

"None that I can see being too much of a problem"

"That's great. It's unusual to have a good class first thing on a Monday morning. There's usually a few latecomers at least"

"Nothing today" Alex smiled.

"Excellent. Well I know you only had one class today. So feel free to look around the university and familiarise yourself with the facilities for the rest of the day" The Professor said as he waved Alex goodbye "Must dash… Already late for my next lecture." He smiled and with that, Professor Hastings was quickly out of sight.

As Alex made her way back to her new office, she questioned why she hadn't told the professor about Piper's timekeeping. She didn't like hiding things from the Professor – even something as small as this. She knew she couldn't do anything that would even have the smallest possibility of getting her in to bother and lying to the Professor sounded like something that could do just that. After all, if she didn't complete this placement with enormous success and an exemplary recommendation from Professor Hastings, she could kiss goodbye to her permanent professor position at NYU.

So why had she not told the professor? She told herself it was because it was a non-problem. 'Being 5 minutes late now and again never done me any harm' Alex thought to herself as she turned on the lights in her office for the first time – immediately brightening the room up to the point that it looked like a different office entirely. Alex didn't care if her pupils were late, it made no difference to her but she could tell Professor Hastings took it much more seriously. She didn't want to bother him with what she thought was an insignificance, but she knew the professor would want to know. So why didn't she tell him? She asked herself this question repeatedly, each time failing to reach a logical conclusion. Alex knew the answer, however, she just didn't want to admit it to herself. She didn't want Piper to get in to trouble. She especially didn't want Piper to get in to trouble because of her.

* * *

 

"Fuck this is heavy" Alex called out as she dragged her desk across the wooden office floor.

As this dark room was going to be her workplace for the next few weeks, Alex decided to make the best of a bad situation and rearrange the furniture, hoping that would do it. She had already turned on the lights which made a massive difference – plus she could now actually see what she was doing. She pulled the desk in front of the window which would allow her to gaze out at the bustling New York City streets while she worked. She also moved the couch into the corner of the room – good for a nap when things were quiet she thought to herself. She could really benefit from a nap at this very moment – she had been up half the night panicking about her first day as a professor. As it turned out, her first day wasn't going badly at all – to her surprise she was actually quite enjoying it. 'Not on the first day, Vause' she thought as she rejected the idea of laying her head down for an hour – regardless of how appealing it was.

Slightly breathless and somewhat sweaty, Alex finally sat down in her chair and turned on her new computer for the first time – 2 new emails.

From: Professor Hastings –

_Alex – I hope the rest of your day went well. Unfortunately, I was feeling poorly so had to go home early. Please feel free to do the same – I know the first day takes a while to recover from. See you tomorrow._

From: Nicky Nichols –

_Vause, I tried calling you but your phone must be on silent – damn you've changed since you became a Professor. Hope it's going ok. Heading to Sandy's tonight – drop by if you can! Nic._

Nothing interesting. Alex thought about taking Professor Hastings advice but she decided she wouldn't be calling it a day quite yet. She looked out into the hallway through the window in her office and saw many other Professors and staff still working hard. She decided to stay another hour or so, as to not cause a bad impression amongst her colleagues – at least not this early into her placement.

Alex loaded up the University intranet and looked through the hundreds of photos taken at the many events held at Litchfield University over the years. She was greeted with a picture of Professor Hastings beaming smile as she opened up the 'Litchfield Fashion Show' album. The professor was posing with his wife – they looked incredibly happy together as the Professors arm draped around the red haired woman's shoulder– at least Alex assumed that was his wife. Shit, what if it wasn't his wife? Maybe he was having an affair with another professor? 'Damn that'd be fucked up' Alex thought to herself as she clicked on to the next picture.

This time she was greeted with a larger woman smiling alone at the camera. She had seen the woman earlier in the day as she left Professor Hastings lecture. She must have been another Professor – she was way too old to be a student.

"That outfit is fucking hideous" Alex blurted out, unable to hide her thoughts as she studied the lady in the photo.

Alex's eyebrows raised as she clicked on to the next photo. She was greeted by a young woman smiling naturally to the camera – it was as if she was caught mid-laugh it was so effortless. Alex's heart pounded in her chest as she realised she recognised the woman in the photo. It was Piper – she'd recognise those sparkling eyes anywhere. Piper was dressed in a short leather skirt with a plain white blouse and high stilettos. The outfit wasn't great but Piper made it work – Alex doubted there was anything that Piper couldn't make work. She stared at the picture for a few minutes, mesmerized by Piper's beauty. Suddenly, she remembered that Piper wasn't just a woman in a picture, she was her student and this was astonishingly inappropriate. These thoughts scared Alex.

'Don't do this Alex. Don't fall in to this. This cannot end well. Snap out of it.' Alex thought to herself as she shut down her computer, grabbed her bag and quickly headed for the exit.

* * *

 

As exciting as today was, Piper struggled to hide her relief when 4pm arrived and her final class ended.

"Fucking finally!" she exclaimed to her best friend and room-mate Polly as they walked down the hall and exited the campus for the final time that day.

"Ugh, tell me about it. I was sure Professor Miller's breath was about to knock me out in that last class"

"You loved it"

"Honestly, I really did not."

"What do you mean? I was sure middle aged, balding, beer gut men with bad breath were your thing now?"

"Fuck you!" Polly laughed and playfully pushed her best friend.

Polly had been Piper's best friend since they were in fourth grade. Their mothers would drop them off at the ice cream parlour in the morning before leaving them to walk the rest of the way to school together. They spent most of this time talking about cartoons and laughing at the boys in their class. Piper remembered this like it happened yesterday and every time she thought about it, it brought a smile to her face.

Growing up, the friends were inseparable. They were always there for their best friend and told each other just about everything. When Piper first lost her virginity, Polly was the one she ran to. She remembered staying up in Polly's room all night telling her about what a terrible experience it had been and how Michael Montgomery had already told her he was in love with her. Polly relied on Piper for comfort when her parents went through their divorce. Piper stayed up with her all night reassuring her that none of this was her fault and that everything would be ok. She provided warmth and contentment for Polly when she needed it most. No matter what happened, what changes took place, or what experiences they both went through Piper knew that Polly would always be there for her – she would always be her best friend. When Piper had to find a room-mate to help pay the rent in her modern, spacious, two bedroom apartment in Manhattan, there was only one candidate.

"So what are you doing tonight? I'm seeing this guy, Pete, and I really want you to meet him" Polly asked her best friend.

"Wow! It must be serious!"

"It is…kind of" Polly replied with a smile on her face which told Piper all she needed to know about Polly's feelings towards Pete.

"So, you need me to give him my seal of approval before you introduce him to your parents, that it?"

"No, I trust my own judgement thank you very much. Who was it who set you and Larry up again?"

"All right. You got me there!" Piper gave in.

"So what do you say?"

"I'd love to Pol, I really would, but I'm on my way to meet Larry for pizza. Raincheck?"

"Sure Pipes. Enjoy pizza... Eat extra for me!" Polly said to her best friend before entering her car and driving downtown to meet her new man.

Piper thought about Larry. Polly was right they wouldn't be together if she hadn't set them up. It was the first year of their course and Piper was spending all of her spare time in the library studying for whatever exam was coming up that week. Polly was on Piper's ass to stop worrying about exams so much and enjoy her time as a student. With much reluctance, Piper finally gave in to Polly's persistence to set her up on a blind date. Polly assured her best friend that Larry Bloom was a great guy. He was an aspiring writer and he was very caring and attentive. Piper was sure that Polly was reading this from a dating website of some sort but as it turned out, everything Polly had said was true and it didn't take Piper long to fall head over heels for Larry. Three years later and they were still together. 'I guess Polly does have pretty good taste.' Piper thought quietly to herself.

As she exited the gate of the campus, Piper saw Larry standing down the street waiting for her outside the local pizza joint. He had his head down looking at his phone so he didn't notice his girlfriend. 'Ah, he looks cute. I always like him in that jacket.' Piper thought to herself as she admired Larry's brown leather jacket from afar.

Piper glanced back at the campus one final time as she left school for the day. As she did, she saw a dark figure emerge from one of the side doors and make her way to the motorbike parked opposite. Before she threw her helmet on her head and her leg over the motorbike, Piper caught a glimpse of her face. It was Alex - the tall, dark haired teacher she'd embarrassed herself in front of earlier that morning. As Alex whizzed past her on the bike, Piper felt her heart race and her palms start to sweat. As soon as she saw the professor, Piper felt a sudden surge of emotions race through her body. She felt captivated by her, like Alex was the only person in the world and everything else that was going on around her – the hustling and bustling, car horns and sirens on the city streets – were just background. Alex was the sole focus of Piper's attention. This terrified her because when she looked back at Larry, she felt nothing.

"Hey, how was your day, babe?"

"Great, thanks. Let's get some pizza." Piper quickly replied while entering 'Piece-a-Pizza' and trying to erase the thoughts that were in swimming around her head.

* * *

 

"VAUSE! Over here, I got the drinks in." Alex heard Nicky say as she entered Sandy's – the local dive bar. She looked around the dark, smoky room before spotting her friend and another woman seated in a booth in the corner.

"I was just telling Morello about that girl from last night. What happened with you two anyway?" Nicky asked as Alex took her seat next to the window.

"What do you mean what happened?" Alex laughed.

"Well, I didn't think I had to spell it out to you at this age Vause but did you..."

"Yes. We fucked..." Alex interrupted her friend before continuing "...And no, I probably won't be seeing her again."

"Vause doesn't do relationships" Nicky turned to the petite brunette woman – Alex assumed this was the aforementioned Morello - sitting next to her.

"That's not true." Alex replied.

It wasn't true. Nicky had just never known Alex to be in a serious relationship. Alex struggled to see the appeal with relationships - Ok, it was kind of true. She enjoyed hook ups but she hated commitment. Although she was now 26, she still just wanted to have a good time and enjoy life without being tied down to someone. In addition to that, she was terrified to be in a relationship. She was scared to put her heart on the line just for it to be broken over and over again. Alex hoped this would change if she met the right woman. But so far, no one was good enough.

"Ok, ok. If you say so. Let's change the subject..." Nicky said.

"Excuse me for a minute ladies, I just have to use the bathroom" Morello added before making her way across the dimly lit dancefloor to the ladies room.

"Where did you pick her up?" Alex asked.

"Ah. We've known each other a while. I guess you could say we have an 'on-off-relationship'" Nicky smirked.

"Ah. So she's your go-to booty call?"

"Some may call it that. Anyway, how was it? Were you as shit scared as you looked this morning?"

"No. It actually went really well" Alex replied.

"What are the class like? Any little hotties need a private tutor?"

"No" Alex looked down and took a large sip of the Margherita Nicky had ordered for her.

"You sure, Vause?"

"Yeah, of course I am" Alex said while still avoiding eye contact with her friend.

She could feel Nicky's gaze on her and she knew she wasn't going to get out of this one easily.

"Ok fine. There's this one girl. Piper" Alex admitted.

"Who the fuck is called Piper?!"

Alex gave her friend a judgemental look before diverting her attention back to the half full Margherita glass on the table. Finally, she gave in and told Nicky about Piper. How stunningly beautiful she was. She told her friend how smart Piper seemed and how cute she was when she apologised for being late. Alex told Nicky that she felt a connection when she looked in to Pipers eyes. It was only a few seconds of eye contact but during those moments, Alex felt something come over her. She wasn't sure what it was and as much as it excited her, it also sent waves of fear and sadness through her because she knew she couldn't act on her feelings.

"Whoa. She sounds like a catch!" Nicky finally replied.

"Yeah…"

"But listen, you're my friend and I'll always look out for you. Don't do anything stupid. Just be careful with… _Piper_." Nicky screwed up her face in judgement as she said Piper's name.

"Yeah I will, thanks."

When Morello returned from the ladies room with fresh red lipstick on her lips and recently sprayed perfume on her skin, Alex made her excuses and left the lovebirds to their evening.

It was 8pm and Alex had called it a night. It was her first early night in a very long time but it would be the first of many now that she had a proper job. As she walked down the New York sidewalk in the cooler night air, she thought about what Nicky had said. Nicky Nichols had been Alex's friend for years. They were so close that everyone around them thought they were a couple. They hooked up once but laughed about it the next day and decided they were much more compatible on a friendship level. Nicky had her problems – alcohol and drugs were her two main demons – but Alex trusted her with her life. What Nicky said mattered and Alex always took it on board. But this time, Nicky's advice wasn't what Alex wanted to hear.

Finally, Alex reached her apartment. She unlocked the door, headed straight to her bedroom and collapsed on the bed. She thought about her first day and the weeks she faced ahead. She was excited at the challenges she would face and was actually looking forward to work the next day.

It wasn't long before Alex's mind inevitably wandered to Piper. She told herself it was just an attraction, a crush maybe. She was allowed to be attracted to someone, it didn't mean she had to act on it. She could control herself. She'd had crushes before, they had come and gone but this felt different. Piper felt different. She felt an instant connection with her unlike any she's ever experience with anyone else before. She wasn't sure what that connection was or what it meant but she knew she wanted to find out. 'Hell, I'm only her teacher for 4 weeks' Alex thought to herself and with a slight smile on her lips, slowly drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope this is as fun for you to read as it was for me to write.  
> jhearts.tumblr.com


	3. Private Tutoring

"Please, sir. It's a lot to ask and I know you're incredibly busy but I just need a bit of guidance."

"I'm sorry Ms. Chapman, I simply don't have the time to help you." Professor Hastings replied, looking up at Piper who stood over his desk with the first few chapters of her paper in hand.

The stress had begun to affect Piper and after a few sleepless nights spent wide awake on the edge of a panic attack just thinking about the possibility of failure this semester, she decided to ask the Professor for some guidance. She needed her paper to be perfect and she couldn't trust herself to achieve that on her own.

"I'm just struggling with my final paper and I could really use some help. I need to get a good grade on this first time around, I don't have any second chances this time. Please?"

The desperation in Piper's voice was heard and the Professor soon offered her an alternative solution.

"Fine..." Professor Hastings replied "…I know someone who can help."

"Thank you so much, Professor. Who?"

Piper felt her heart rate boost as the name fell from the Professors lips and it only increased as she walked towards her office.

* * *

 

Piper stood outside Alex Vause's office. Her heart was beating out of her chest and she was convinced she was about to pass out. The hall started spinning and beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Why did this woman have this effect on her? Piper barely knew her. She was just another professor. She was no different from Professor Hastings or Professor James… Although she didn't seem to have a hygiene problem like the latter so I guess she was a bit different. Piper let out a slight chuckle at this thought in an attempt to relax. It didn't work.

Piper was struggling with her final paper. If she didn't get a high A for all of her coursework then the final exams would become much more difficult. The pressure was on, and she felt it. Piper knew Professor Hastings had years of experience and knew her subject inside out so she approached him for some tutoring. He didn't have time to help her. This didn't come as a surprise to Piper, given that he was the head of the department after all. He suggested Professor Vause was the woman Piper needed. So here she was, stood outside of Alex's office. After a lot of hesitation and second thoughts, she finally plucked up the courage and knocked three times on the door.

"Come in" The voice Piper had being thinking about all night called out immediately.

"Hey. Professor Hastings sent me… he thought you might be able to help me out with my paper?" Piper focused on Alex. She was sitting at her desk behind her computer screen. When Piper entered the room she sat back in her chair and pushed her glasses up into her hair before smiling at the blonde who looked nervously back at her.

"Ah. I didn't realise you were the damsel in distress" Alex said.

"Are you disappointed?"

"The opposite, actually…" Alex smiled "…It's good to see you, Piper."

Piper smiled in return and put her head down – an attempt to hide her red face from Alex. She wasn't sure if it had worked or not but if it hadn't, Alex didn't call her out on it which she was grateful for. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself in front of this woman again.

Alex stood up from her desk and made her way over to Piper. She leaned in and for a split second, Piper thought the teacher was going to hug her. It turns out she was just leaning over to close the office door but as she did Alex's long hair brushed against Piper's arm and a slight shiver came over the student. Alex was so close, Piper could smell her shampoo. Coconut. She liked it.

"Shall we take a seat?"

"Sure" Piper said as she followed Alex to the leather couch in the corner of the room.

Piper looked around the office. It was very spacious and quite dark. Piper liked this as it added atmosphere. The scented candles in the room and Alex's motorbike helmet on the floor added the character.

"So what was it you were struggling with? Hopefully I can help." Alex said, smiling at Piper.

"Umm… I'm currently trying to write my final paper and I'm running out of things to say. I guess I was just looking for some inspiration from someone who knows what they're talking about."

"Ah. And you think I'm that someone?" Alex looked at Piper with a slight grin on her face.

"Well, Professor Hastings was my first choice but he was unavailable so I guess you're next on the list."

Alex looked at Piper pretending to be shocked and hurt at her student's statement, before a small laugh managed to escape her lips.

"All right, kid, I get it. Let me have a look at what you've done so far" Alex chuckled.

Piper handed over the sheets of paper to Alex, hoping she wouldn't be too unimpressed with her efforts so far. As Alex reached out to take the paper from Piper, her hand brushed against the blondes and immediately sent a shiver through Pipers entire body.

"Oops, sorry!" Piper said, feeling like a massive dork.

Alex didn't respond. The expression on her face was emotionless as she took the paper from Piper's hands and immediately started reading.

Piper watched nervously as Alex became engrossed in her paper.

Alex looked good, damn good. Piper couldn't deny that regardless of how hard she tried. She was wearing skin tight jeans, a casual white tee and a black blazer and she looked incredibly good in it.

Why was she thinking these things? Was she attracted to Alex? Was she falling for her Professor? These thoughts raced through Piper's mind as her eyes stayed focused on Alex. Piper thought back to the only time she had ever been involved with a woman. Although it happened 5 years ago, Piper still remembers every detail of it clearly. She remembers getting incredibly drunk in a local nightclub with her best friend at the time, Kelly. Many shots and cocktails later and Kelly had dragged Piper into a vacant toilet cubicle. Before she could ask what was happening, Piper felt Kelly's lips on hers. She thought about stopping her but decided against it and instead kissed Kelly back. Their kiss was soft and sweet and it lasted for a few minutes before they both pulled away and burst out laughing. Piper often thought back to that night. She enjoyed kissing Kelly. She enjoyed feeling another woman's lips on her own. But she wasn't gay. She was in a relationship with a man. Yes, she often thought about what it would be like to have sex with a woman, but everyone does that. Right? It didn't mean she was gay – she was sure of that. But now, there was Alex and as Piper looked at her, she realised everything had changed and she began to doubt everything she ever thought she knew about herself. Maybe she wasn't so sure after all.

"You know, it's very difficult for to concentrate on this when I can feel your eyes on me. Your stare is incredibly distracting, Ms Chapman" Alex turned her head to meet Piper's eyes.

Piper was startled when Alex snapped her out of her daydream and before she knew it the words were out of her mouth.

"Sorry. I just really appreciate an attractive face when I see one."

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. Alex was her Professor and this wasn't right.

"Shit. I'm sorry. That was really inappropriate. Sorry"

"Don't be sorry…" Alex finally replied. "…I find it hard not to appreciate an attractive woman when I see one too."

Alex held Piper's gaze for a few seconds before looking back at the papers on her lap.

"Anyway…" She said, quickly changing the subject "…This is really good Piper, you have some great ideas. Sometimes less is more, you know?"

"Yeah I do." Piper replied, still feeling like she was in a dream that was almost impossible to wake up from.

"You should have more confidence in yourself, kid" Alex said.

"Thanks, Professor"

"Alex."

"Oh right. Sorry. Alex"

Alex laughed and Piper was once again captivated by the woman who stood in front of her. Her smile was infectious and the sound of her laugh was like music to Piper's ears. She couldn't get enough of it.

"Listen, Piper. I know how hard you worked on this paper and I know you want some extra help so here…"

Alex took Piper's hand and held it so her palm faced the ceiling. Before Piper could ask what she was doing, Alex was writing something on her hand.

"What's this?" Piper asked, confused.

"It's my number."

"Oh." Piper smiled but quickly wiped the smile away as she realised Alex had noticed it.

"I want you to call me if you need any help, tips, tutoring or anything you think will help you graduate top of the class."

"Is this special treatment, Professor Vause?"

"Yeah it is. And, it's Alex" she smiled in reply.

As the two woman unintentionally got caught up in each other's gaze, a sudden knock on the door quickly brought them both back down to reality.

"Alex. We have a faculty meeting in a few minutes and I'd love to introduce you to everyone"

"I'll be right there, Professor Hastings." Alex replied as the man nodded and made his way towards the meeting room down the hall.

"I should probably get going." Piper said

"Yeah, I guess you should. Remember what I said though, call me if you need anything."

"I will…" Piper said as she made her way out of Alex office door "…Bye, Alex" She said, looking back to her smiling professor.

* * *

As Piper made her way out of Alex's office and down the long, narrow corridor, she struggled to wipe the grin off of her face. The few students she passed gave her a strange look - probably wondering who the weirdo was walking down the hall with the massive smile. She didn't care. She was happy so she let it show. The campus was strangely quiet and Piper took this time to walk slowly and be alone with her thoughts.

Alex had just given Piper her number. She struggled to get her head around this. The teacher who Piper was infatuated with, the one who had been on her mind for days had just taken her hand and written her number on it. What did this mean? Piper wondered. Did it mean that Alex liked Piper as much as she liked her? Piper hoped this was true but the voice of reason in her head told her Alex's reasons were genuine – she wanted to help Piper pass the class. That was all there was to it.

Whatever Alex's reasons were, Piper was ecstatic that she'd taken that step. Now all that Piper had to do was take the next step – the one where she built up the courage and actually called Alex on the phone. But she wouldn't do that straight away. She didn't want Alex to think she was desperate to speak to her – even if she was.

Piper's walk through the dimly lit halls was abruptly cut short as she suddenly felt herself smack against something – or someone.

"Jesus, P, have you gone blind?" Polly called out as she knelt down to gather the papers that had just been thrown from her clutches.

"Sorry, Pol. I was just thinking about something."

"Yeah I could tell. Something important I assume?"

Piper didn't reply. The small half smile that had just appeared on her face done that for her.

"Ok. Let's go and get some coffee and you can tell me all about it! I know this great place that's just opened across campus." Polly said before they both exited the building and walked casually to the coffee shop.

Piper sat back in the low, comfy, rust coloured couch as Polly waited in the queue in the contemporary new coffee shop. Piper didn't even bother looking around the coffee shop to take in her surroundings. As soon as she walked through the door, she could see it was all students. Plus, she wanted to be in her head with her thoughts, with Alex. Unfortunately she didn't get the chance as Polly was making her way back to their table… and she wasn't alone.

"Piper, this is Pete… my boyfriend" Polly smiled to her new catch.

"Hey Piper. Polly's told me a lot about you. It's good to finally be able to put a name to a face." Pete said, in a distinct Australian accent that Piper knew would quickly get annoying.

"Face to a name, I think you mean." Piper smiled.

"Yeah that's what he meant." Polly added, placing her hand on the tall man's bicep.

It was now after 3pm and as the students finished up their classes for the day, the coffee shop got increasingly busy.

"I better get back to work, ladies…" charismatic Pete said "…great meeting you Piper".

"Yeah. You too" Piper tried to reply with the same enthusiasm.

With a smile and a kiss for Polly, Pete was quickly back behind the counter.

"Well, thanks for trying…" Polly said while taking her seat "…I know you don't enjoy meeting my boyfriends"

"Only because there's a new one every 2 weeks" Piper chuckled and sipped on her latte.

Polly narrowed her eyes and stared at her best friend.

"If only all of us could be as happy as you and Larry."

Piper didn't reply.

"Hey, I was going to ask. Is it ok if you disappear for a few hours tonight? Pete and I would really love a bit of alone time"

"What and Pete doesn't have his own place?" Piper asked.

"No, he's still living at his folks and I don't want his mom hearing us if we…"

"SAY NO MORE…" Piper interrupted not wanting to know where the rest of the sentence was headed "…I'll stay out of your way."

"Thanks, Pipes. I'll make it up to you. I just saw this thing in a magazine that I really wanted to… WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!"

Polly blurted out, losing her trail of thought when she saw the cell phone number written on Piper's hand.

"Oh. It's nothing." She replied and strategically moved her hand so the number was out of Polly's view.

"Piper I can see that you have someone's number written on your hand. Whose is it?"

"It's no ones."

"Are you cheating on Larry? How could you Piper? He's the sweetest guy!"

"What? Polly, no. I'm not cheating on Larry" Piper replied, hurt that her friend would think so low of her.

"Then how can you explain the guy's number on your hand?"

"It's not a guy's number ok? It's a Professor at schools number. They gave it to me in case I needed any advice on an essay they were helping me with."

"Oh thank God. Jesus, Piper. Don't scare me like that. I don't think my heart could cope with the breakup of the worlds sweetest couple" Polly said as she finished her coffee and grabbed her coat before continuing "…It's pretty weird that a Professor would give you his number when you could just ask him for advice at school though. Maybe this Professor wants some late night texting action" Polly winked and smiled before waving at her friend and making her way out the door.

Polly was right. Piper could ask Alex at any time, on any given day for advice with her paper. Why did she give the student her number? Piper didn't waste too much time thinking about this question. She had the Professors number and that was all that mattered.

Piper took out her phone to save the number and to avoid any more questions about the writings on her hand. Her excitement built as she saw she had one new text message but this feeling quickly disappeared when she saw who the sender was: Larry.

* * *

The day was long and Alex was glad when it finally came to an end. She hopped on her motorbike and rode out the gate feeling slightly disappointed that she didn't see Piper on the way.

The smell of freshly cooked chicken casserole hit Alex as soon as she opened the door and brought with it a whole load of happy childhood memories.

"Mom, it's me. You left the door unlocked" Alex called out to her mother who was cooking in the kitchen.

Alex shut the door behind her and made her way into the outdated two storey house. This was her childhood home. The home she grew up in. The home where she had experienced some of the best times she's ever had as well as some of the most extreme heartbreak. Every time Alex walked through the front door, she couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. She was incredibly happy with her life just now but the comfort and warmth that she felt being back at home could never be beaten.

"Alex! You're here! It's great to see you, kid!" Alex's mom ran to her and threw her arms around her daughter.

"Mom, I saw you last weekend, not last year!" she laughed as she settled in her mom's embrace.

"I know Al, but it's just great to have you here again."

"Thanks, Mom. When will dinner be ready? I'm starving!"

"20 minutes. Now, come and help me set the table and tell me all about the new job!" Alex's mom said with the proudest smile Alex had ever seen splashed across her face.

Diane Vause was Alex's best friend. Women came in and out of Alex's life, but her mom always remained. She was always there to provide support and love to Alex whenever she needed it. She called her mom every day, sometimes staying on the phone for hours at a time listening to her Mom's crazy stories about her neighbours and the goings on at the local church group. Quite simply, Alex would be lost without her and she cherished these moments when it was just her, her mom, good food, conversation and love. The perfect night.

Alex didn't have the easiest childhood. Her mom was a single parent who worked three jobs just to put food on the table and provide her daughter with the best quality of life she could. She never knew her father. All of this coupled with her glasses and fake designer clothes made Alex a prime A target for school bullies. Thankfully Alex could give as much as she could take and it didn't take the bullies long to notice this and move on to their next victim. Alex and her mom had been through a lot together and it only brought them closer. Diane knew Alex better than Alex knew herself and this was always evident.

"What's on your mind, kid?" Diane asked her daughter as they both tucked in to their casserole.

"What do you mean?"

"I can tell when something's bothering you Alex and right now you're giving off signals right left and centre. So what is it?"

"Oh it's nothing, just work stuff."

"Alex, you know you can tell me anything. You've always known that."

Alex looked up and met her Mom's gaze and sweet smile before looking back at her plate, remaining emotionless.

She reluctantly took a deep breath and said "There's this girl…"

Alex told her Mom all about Piper Chapman. She told her that she'd never felt a surge of energy quite like one she did when Piper first walked in to her class. She told her that she hadn't been able to get her off of her mind in days and that she was terrified she could lose her job because she really felt like she was falling for her student.

Her Mom didn't say anything at first, still processing all the information Alex had absentmindedly blurted out.

"Ok. Just one question, why did you give her your cell phone number?" Diane asked with a confused look on her face.

"I wanted to see if she'd call. If she did then maybe that meant she liked me too. And if she didn't, then I'd have to move on and focus purely on this placement and nothing else. She hasn't called."

"Oh, Alex…" Diane said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter for the second time that evening, before continuing "…If Piper is meant to be your girl, she will be. You're both practically the same age and you felt a connection, it's natural."

"What should I do?" Alex asked her mom.

"Just be careful, Al. That's all you can do. You don't want to get fired. If it turns out that Piper feels the same way as you do, then just remember to watch your back. Don't take it too far…at least not until the end of the semester anyway."

"That's a long 3 weeks away." Alex replied.

"Yeah…but it'll be worth it." Diane replied, kissing Alex's forehead and refocusing her attention back to the meal on the table.

* * *

"Finally, you're here! God, I missed you!" Larry said to his girlfriend who was standing in the doorway wearing short denim shorts and a large oversized grey hoodie.

"Hey…" Piper said, entering the apartment as Larry put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her forcefully on the lips – the type of kiss where you could feel how much they missed you. Piper struggled to kiss Larry back.

The thoughts Piper was having about her boyfriend terrified her. She had been bored with their relationship for a while but she stayed with Larry because she really did care about him. At least that's what she told herself. When she really thought about it, she knew that the real reason that she had stayed with Larry was comfort. Piper enjoyed being in a relationship. She enjoyed having someone to kiss her, hug her, and hold her. She didn't want to be alone. So she chose not to be. She chose to be with Larry and she was happy with her decision. Until recently, when she struggled to even give her boyfriend the time of day.

"I brought Chinese. I had to get out of the apartment. Polly is currently having sex with her new boyfriend."

Larry laughed.

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm really glad you're here, babe" Larry replied, while serving up the Chinese.

Larry's apartment was a mess. Piper hated coming here and she only did when she absolutely had to. There were papers lying all over the floor, pizza boxes piled up on top of the trash can and the bed hadn't been made for weeks. This always bothered Piper but she put up with it to spend time with her boyfriend. Tonight it repulsed her.

The couple sat down on the old worn out couch in front of the tv which was currently showing the evenings sporting entertainment – 'baseball, yay' Piper sarcastically thought.

"So, how's school going?" Larry asked.

"Oh it's ok. As good as it can be I guess."

Piper spent the next hour listening to Larry talk about an article he had written for a new magazine. Something about masturbating without cumming. 'What a lot of bullshit!' Piper thought to herself as she nodded along enthusiastically listening as Larry excitedly told her about the great reviews he'd received so far.

"That's great, babe. I really hope it works out." Piper managed to reply.

"Thanks…" Larry said as he put his arm round his girlfriend and turned to face her. "…I've missed you like crazy these past couple of days Pipes. I'm so glad you're here."

Before Piper could reply, Larry's lips were on hers. He kissed her slowly, passionately, before moving his hand up and underneath Piper's top.

Piper suddenly felt a surge of panic and she knew this had to stop. She couldn't take this any further.

"Larry, stop. I'm not in the mood tonight." She said, breaking away from the writers kiss.

"Come on Pipes. I missed you….and I'm horny as hell" he said while attempting to pull Piper on to his lap.

"I said stop, Larry. Did you not hear me? I have a headache. I'm going to lie down."

Piper stood from the couch and walked towards the bedroom hearing Larry muttering obscenities under his breath and turning the volume up on the TV. When she reached the bedroom, Piper slammed the door shut drowning out the noise from outside. 'What the fuck is wrong with me?' she thought as she lay down on the bed and pulled the duvet over her. Piper couldn't have sex with her boyfriend. She didn't want to. She couldn't have sex with Larry while she was thinking about someone else. It wasn't fair to either of them.

Piper thought about Alex. She thought about how much this woman had affected her in only a few days. She'd never felt that before. She knew she was keeping it from Larry and she felt guilty for doing so but what could she tell him? There was nothing to tell. She hadn't done anything. Not yet anyway.

As Piper relaxed under the covers, she thought about rejecting Larry's advances. She simply couldn't sleep with him while wishing it was Alex. She wished it was Alex that was pulling her near, Alex who was holding her tight. She wished it was Alex who was pulling Piper on to her lap. As these thoughts raced through her mind, Piper's hand made it's way into her shorts and as she gave in to her touch, she could do nothing but wish it was Alex.

* * *

The wind blew through her hair as Alex rode her bike back to her apartment.

Diane was right. She always was and Alex trusted her completely. She couldn't do anything while Piper was her student. If anyone found out, she could get fired and would definitely lose her teaching position at NYU. Plus, Piper could get in to a lot of trouble. She had to wait another 3 weeks. And even then, Piper might not be interested.

As Alex finally arrived home and slithered into bed, she thought about Piper. She wondered if Piper ever thought about her. She wondered what Piper was doing right now, at this very moment. Whatever it was, Alex wished she was with her.

As Alex lay her head down for the night and slowly closed her eyes, she felt suddenly startled with the vibrating of her phone on the nightstand. She had trouble finding her glasses in the dark but when she did and she finally read the screen on her phone, she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

'1 new text message'

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always - jhearts.tumblr.com


	4. A Secret Text

_Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep_

"Arghhh, shut the fuck up" Alex exclaimed as her right hand smashed against the top of her alarm clock.

It was 6:30 on Friday morning. The last day of Alex's first week as a Professor at Litchfield University and what a great week it had been. Although, it still didn't make it any easier for Alex to get out of bed in the morning. She wanted to be asleep so she could dream. She could dream about what she wanted her life to be, the happiness that she could experience and all the things she could see and do. Waking up was never easy. It brought with it a harsh realisation that her life wasn't a dream. It was just a life. A normal life. No one could live their dream life and Alex accepted that she had to go through the same shit as everyone else. The perfect life didn't exist. This week brought new experiences for Alex, however, and for the first time in her life, she felt her dreams and her reality grow much closer together.

"Where the hell is my phone?" Alex asked herself as she rubbed her eyes and searched for her glasses. Her question was answered as she stood up and heard a loud thud on the floor.

'Shit' Alex thought as she picked her phone up inspecting it for any damage.

For a split second, Alex thought it had been a dream… A good dream… A great dream infact, but a dream nonetheless. The smile on her face illustrated her delight when she checked her messages and realised it hadn't been a dream, this was real. This was her life. Piper had texted her. She read the text over and over and over again – feeling the same drop in her stomach every time.

_Piper: Hey Alex. I just wanted to say thanks again for your help this morning, I feel much more confident with my paper now. Hopefully see you tomorrow. Piper._

As happy as Alex was to receive Piper's text message, she wasn't sure what to make of it. This didn't mean Piper liked her, regardless of how much Alex wished it was.

Alex had fallen asleep with her phone on her chest, struggling to find the words to reply to her student. She was unsure if she should reply. She knew she had to take her Mom's advice and stepping over the line wasn't an option. But she wanted to talk to her student, so she decided to send a reply. She would keep it formal, professional, student and teacher like regardless of what thoughts were racing through her mind. She picked up her phone and typed.

_Alex: Hey Piper. Nice to hear from you. I'm around campus all day, so come and see me if you need any more guidance with the paper. A._

Alex sent the text quickly, she barely gave it any thought. She didn't want to overthink this, she had to go with what she felt was right. She launched her phone on to the bed and dived into the shower.

As Alex felt the hot water cover her body, she done everything she could to ignore the thoughts that were repeating themselves in her head. The thoughts that wished Piper was in the shower with her. 'Enough. This is inappropriate' Alex thought to herself as she quickly turned off the water and stepped out into the cold air, goose pimples immediately covering her entire body.

Alex done everything she could to get Piper out of her head and it worked… for a while at least. However, as she stood in her kitchen eating her cereal, her mind quickly made its way back to her student. She wondered if Piper had replied to her text. Just as she was about to make her way into the bedroom and check her phone, Alex stopped herself. She wouldn't do this. She wouldn't check her phone obsessively. She wouldn't be that woman. She wasn't that woman. Alex had never chased anyone in her life. Woman came to her and she liked it that way. She knew that if she put herself out there and cared too much, she would get hurt. So, she avoided it. This time it was different, it felt worth the risk.

She checked her phone: no new text messages. She promised herself she wouldn't check her phone for the rest of the day, she'd only look at it if it vibrated.

Alex had no classes this morning, she was only teaching in the afternoon, but she threw on her leather jacket, grabbed her helmet and headed out the door anyway. If she was at the University she could do some work and she wouldn't have as much time to think – that had to be a good thing.

* * *

"Piper? Piper, are you awake?"

Piper could hear her boyfriend wake her as he sat at the bottom of the bed. She must've fallen asleep early. The last thing she remembered was texting Alex and immediately regretting it. She knew she shouldn't have done it. Alex had specifically asked her to call if she wanted help with her paper. She didn't ask her to text and Piper regretted being so bold.

"Hey..." Larry said looking at Piper as she slowly woke up to the world.

She sat up in bed with her knees pushed up to her chest and her arms around her legs.

"Hey. Larry, listen, I'm sorry I was a bitch last night. I just really wasn't in the mood and…"

"Piper, stop…" Larry interrupted "…It's ok. You have nothing to apologise for. I should've listened to you when you said you were sick. Are you feeling better?"

"Much"

"Good. I gotta go, I have an early meeting with the publisher. I'll call you later, ok?" Larry said as he kissed Piper's knee.

He stopped in the doorway and looked back at his tired girlfriend.

"I love you, Piper"

Piper smiled in return, no sound came from her mouth.

Piper relaxed back in her boyfriend's bed. It was only 9am and she didn't have a class until 2pm this afternoon so she took advantage of the rare free time she had. She tried to process what had happened last night, why she couldn't make love to her boyfriend. Excuses would only last so long and Larry would soon realise something wasn't right. She knew what the problem was – Alex. Only Piper didn't see Alex as being a problem, she didn't want to. Alex was what had made Piper so happy this week, and she couldn't give up on that. The thought of Alex made Piper pick her phone up off the nightstand. The happiness that came over her when she saw Alex had replied to her message was unlike any emotion she had ever experienced with Larry. Slightly shaky, she managed to open the message and read it clearly.

_Alex: Hey, Piper. Nice to hear from you. I'm around campus all day, so come and see me if you need any more guidance with the paper. A._

Piper couldn't believe her Professor had replied. Maybe texting wasn't such a bad idea after all. She knew she should've trusted her instincts. Piper decided to text Alex back. She thought for a few minutes before her fingertips met the keyboard.

_Piper: I will, thanks. I won't be around until later this afternoon. I'm currently making the most of the morning lying in bed._

Not expecting to hear back from Alex, Piper was startled when her phone vibrated less than a minute later.

_Alex: Wow. I'm pretty jealous, kid. I'm just staring at the 4 walls of my dull office…exciting, right?_

_Piper: Very. Shame we couldn't swap places._

_Alex: True. But then you'd be in my office bored looking at the walls. Good thinking, Piper._

_Piper: Yeah you're right. Will you be around this afternoon, around 4ish? I could come see you after my class._

_Alex: Yeah I'll be here. Something you need help with?_

_Piper: Nothing in particular. Maybe we could go through my paper again? I really want to make sure it's 100%._

_Alex: It's pretty perfect already._

_Piper: Oh, okay, that's cool._

_Alex: Piper, was there anything else you needed help with?_

_Piper: No, nothing. I just like hanging out with you. You're probably the coolest Professor I have…_

_Alex: Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment!_

_Piper: It was meant as such._

_Alex: You're a pretty cool student too… when you turn up on time ;)_

_Piper: Thanks. I guess we work pretty well together then._

_Alex: Yeah, I guess so..._

_Piper: Listen, I'm really sorry if I was being awkward the other day. All the staring and stuff…I didn't mean anything by it and I don't want you to think I'm weird._

_Alex: Relax, kid. I don't think you're weird. I was flattered actually._

_Piper: Oh, cool. Well I really enjoyed staring at you… as weird as that sounds._

_Alex: Thanks… I guess. And that does sound kind of weird..._

_Piper: I meant what I said though. I appreciate an attractive face when I see one, and you're really beautiful._

_Alex: Thanks, Piper. But I'm your teacher, you shouldn't really be looking at me that way._

_Piper: I know. But you're only my teacher for a couple weeks._

_Alex: It doesn't matter. I could get fired if anyone found out we were even texting never mind anything else._

_Piper: I'm not going to tell anyone, Alex. It can be our little secret._

_Alex: And how do I know I can trust you?_

_Piper: I guess you don't. But at least let me try and prove it to you?_

_Alex: Ok… Don't let me down, kid._

_Piper: I won't. I'm really looking forward to seeing you later today._

_Alex: I'm looking forward to seeing you too._

_Piper: You know, I haven't told anyone this but I haven't been able to get you out of my mind all week._

_Alex: I know the feeling. I've been thinking about you a lot too._

_Piper: What have you been thinking about?_

_Alex: I was thinking that I'd been wasting my time over you. I didn't think you were interested…_

_Piper: You were so wrong._

_Alex: And I'm glad I was. I got to go, Piper, I'm leading a study group in a few minutes. I'll see you this afternoon._

_Piper: Can't wait._

Piper was sure her heart was about to beat out of her chest. She couldn't believe she had been so bold when texting her Professor but, Alex was replying. They were actually talking outside of school and Alex had pretty much admitted that she was into Piper too. This was all too much information for Piper to take in and it was way too early to process any of it. She moved on to her side and turned to face the window. She replayed their text conversation over and over and over again in her head before drifting back off into a peaceful and content sleep.

* * *

A mix of emotions surged through Alex's mind. As she leaned back in her leather desk chair, she tried to put her thoughts into order.

_Guilt._ She shouldn't have texted Piper, they shouldn't be speaking on a personal basis and they certainly shouldn't be conversing over their mutual admiration for each other. Alex had been given this placement despite her lack of credentials or experience. Professor Hastings took a chance on her and gave her a shot at this but now she was about to throw the opportunity back in his face by getting involved with a student? She couldn't do that. She couldn't let the Professor down.

_Confusion._ Alex didn't know how to play this. She had always been the master of handling things completely wrong. But she couldn't be wrong about this, she had to play it right to avoid getting both her and Piper into trouble.

_Delight._ Piper was into Alex, she had pretty much admitted it. All the thoughts and questions that had been stuck in Alex's head for the past few days had now been answered. Yes, Piper liked her. Yes, Piper had been thinking about her. Yes, Piper wanted to see her. This was by far Alex's favourite emotion and it made all the others seem completely irrelevant. She felt happiness as well as relief. Relief that her time hadn't been wasted. All the time she put in to thinking about Piper had been reciprocated. Why should their relationship stop with just thoughts?

Alex couldn't dwell on these thoughts for long. She grabbed the many folders and study material on her desk and made her way to her group. She had a job to do and for the next hour at least, Piper would have to wait.

* * *

"This has been incredibly helpful Professor Vause, you really know your stuff!"

"Anytime, Adam" Alex said as the students from her study group gathered their things and made their way back down the busy halls.

Alex loved teaching. She loved playing such a big part in someone's life. She also loved celebrating with her students when they passed their exams and had graduated. Being able to profoundly impact someone's life in such a positive way is what made Alex want to do this job.

The teachers Alex had growing up were the inspiration behind Alex's career choice. They provided her with help, support and encouragement when she was severely lacking in all three. There were times when Alex would rely on some of her teachers for advice and she was incredibly appreciative of the time and effort they put in to helping her even if it only involved listening. Alex was reluctant to go to her Mom for advice growing up. She didn't want to make her own problems her Mom's problems too. Especially when her Mom had enough problems of her own to deal with. So she relied on her teachers, and they were always there. Even though Alex's students were much older, she still sought to provide the same level of assistance and inspiration.

Alex exited the glass doors of the library and made her way down the spiral staircase.

"Hey Professor Vause" a voice amongst a crown called out.

"Hi Bennett"

"Afternoon, Professor"

"Hi, George" Alex replied to her students greetings.

The halls were crowded and Alex had to push through a number of students to finally reach the Marketing wing of the building. As she made her way through the brown swing doors, she quickly glanced to her right into Professor Hastings office. The professor was leaning back in his chair with his head in his hands. Alex wasn't sure what to do in this situation. She wanted to walk on, back to her office and pretend like she hadn't noticed the professor. His problems weren't Alex's business after all. But, the voice in her head told her to do the opposite. The voice that told her to be a good colleague and play by the rules told her to check on the Professor. So she done the right thing.

Professor Hastings door was open. She stood in the doorway for a few seconds before knocking. The Professor hadn't even noticed her, seemingly in his own world oblivious to everything around him. Alex knew that feeling. Eventually, she knocked on the door.

Nothing. The Professor didn't move.

"Professor Hastings?"

Finally. Movement. The man removed his head from his hands and looked at the brunette, forcing a smile on to his face as he done so.

"Professor Hastings, is everything ok?" Alex enquired.

"No, Alex. It's not. Come in and close the door." Alex followed the professor's instructions and took a seat across the desk, facing the white haired man.

"I have a bit of a problem on my hands" Alex could hear the worry in the Professors voice.

"Oh. Anything I can help with?"

"I don't think so Alex"

Alex looked at the Professor. She wasn't sure why she was here. If she couldn't help with whatever problem the Professor was dealing with, why had he invited her into his office?

Before Alex could question him, the Professor continued.

"You see Alex, we have rules here. Rules for both students and staff alike…"

"I understand" she nodded in agreement.

"Unfortunately one of our staff has broken these rules. I found out earlier today that Professor James has been romantically involved with one of his students."

"Oh" Alex's heart sunk. She looked at the floor, avoiding eye contact with Professor Hastings at all costs.

"Unfortunately this is something that we take extremely seriously here at Litchfield and I've no other option but to let him go."

Alex couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew the University would take this issue seriously but Professor Hasting was acting like this was the end of the world. Alex had to know more. She had to know if she and Piper constituted a 'romantic relationship'.

"How did you find out? Were they involved for a long time?" Alex asked, trying not to sound overly keen to find out this information.

The professor sighed.

"As far as we are aware, they had been involved with each other for about a month. One of the students in Professor James' class noticed that he and the student in question had been spending a lot of time together. We looked in to it and found out they had been exchanging multiple email messages a day. Once we had read the content of the messages, we had all the evidence we needed."

"Wow. That's… crazy." Alex replied, sure that her heart beat could be heard from across the desk.

"It is that. It seems like it doesn't matter what age you are, some people are still unable to obey the rules." The Professor sighed to Alex.

"Yeah it seems that way. Thanks for telling me. I have to go. I have a meeting with a student." Alex said, desperate to escape the room as quickly as possible.

"No problem, Miss Vause. Thank you for listening. I've arranged a staff meeting for 4:15pm today to discuss the day's events. See you there."

Alex nodded and made her way out of Professor Hastings office.

She leaned against the cold tiled wall outside the professor's office breathing heavily, her heart racing. The panic had set in and she was struggling to control it. She had barely gone near Piper but she could already be in trouble. What if they could read her text messages, she could be fired. She attempted to control her breathing and rationalise the situation. She had to stop things with Piper. She couldn't risk her future. As she tried to relax and calm down, the swing doors opened and a familiar figure approached.

"Hi, Professor" Piper said, smiling directly at the brunette.

"Hi, Piper" Alex replied.

"I have a study session just now but are we still on for later?" Piper asked, catching Alex off guard.

Alex put her index finger to her mouth and pointed into Professor Hastings office, signalling to Piper that the Professor was inside and might hear them.

Piper put her hand to her mouth, a small laugh escaping her lips before mouthing 'Sorry' to Alex.

Alex got out her notepad, scribbled something and handed it to Piper. Before she could watch Piper read the note, she turned on her heal and made her way back to her office.

* * *

Piper watched her Professor leave. She struggled not to. As soon as Alex was out of sight, Piper opened the folded note she had been handed.

'My office. 4pm.'

Piper smiled, put the note in her pocket and made her way to the library already wishing it was 4pm.

* * *

The feeling of deja vu was overwhelming and Piper was experiencing the same feelings that she had been a few days earlier. She was stood outside Alex's office. Her watch read 3:55pm but she wouldn't knock on the door until 4pm exactly. She could barely wait a second longer to see her favourite professor but she didn't want to seem overly keen. She didn't want to scare Alex off.

Her heart was racing and small beads of sweat started to appear on her forehead. Her hands were clammy and her breathing shallow. She had butterflies in her stomach and felt like she could vomit at any second. No one else had ever had this effect on her. This was all new for Piper and she was experiencing emotions she never knew she had.

She thought about Alex and their 'relationship.' She referred to it as a relationship because there was no other word for it. They weren't in a relationship. Piper was in a relationship with someone else. Larry. Larry was her boyfriend. Being in a relationship with him was easy. It wasn't dangerous and they didn't have to worry about being caught. Alex was just someone who liked Piper. That was all it was. There was no relationship, they had barely even touched never mind done anything else. But for Piper, Alex was inevitable. She knew it would go further. It would happen whether she wanted it to or not. She did want it. She was falling hard for Alex.

4pm.

Piper reached out and knocked the door. Within seconds, the all too familiar "Come in" sounded from within the office.

Piper stepped inside and closed the door. Alex wasn't at her desk, Piper quickly looked around the room before Alex made herself known.

"I'm over here, kid" Alex laughed, from the couch in the corner.

"Oh, hey. I didn't see you" Piper said nervously as she walked over to the couch and sat next to Alex.

"Right on time. Crazy how much things can change in just a couple days" Alex smiled.

Piper returned Alex's natural smile.

"So, listen. I have to talk to you" Alex said, as she pushed her glasses up into her hair.

Piper noticed the quick change in Alex's emotions.

"Ok…" Piper said wearily.

"We can't do this anymore. It has to end. I'm sorry"

Piper looked at Alex who was now staring at the floor.

"Alex, I told you, you can trust me" Piper leaned over and placed her hand on Alex's knee. She surprised herself with this. She was always so nervous around Alex, intimidated almost. But now, with the more time they spent together, she was feeling much more comfortable with the professor.

Alex looked at Piper's hand before turning her gaze to the blonde's face, a soft smile emerging.

"I know I can, Piper. I trust you completely. That's not the issue." Alex sighed.

"Then what is the issue?" Piper enquired, removing her hand from Alex's knee.

"I'm just terrified we might get caught. Professor James got fired today for fooling around with one of his students. I can't risk my job. My future relies on a successful placement here and I know your future relies on you graduating. I might lose my job and you might be expelled if we get caught. I can't risk it."

Piper knew that Alex was right. She had worked so hard over the past few years and she couldn't throw it all away now over a crush that would probably disappear as quickly as it appeared and as much as she wanted Alex, right here, right now, on this couch, she knew what the right thing to do was.

"You're right…" Piper replied. "…As much as I wish you weren't."

Both smiled.

"I'm sorry, Pipes. I really do like you but we need to keep it platonic…for now anyway"

Piper smiled at Alex's use of Pipes. Usually she hated it when people shortened her name but with most other things recently, Alex had changed her opinion.

"I really like you too, Alex. How long are you here for again?"

"3 weeks."

"So I guess this will be the longest 3 weeks of my life?"

"Yeah I guess so" Alex laughed.

Alex looked at Piper for a few seconds before leaning over and tucking a strand of Piper's hair behind her ear.

"Hopefully we…" Alex was cut off by the loud sound of her desk phone ringing "…Sorry, one sec" She said as she got up to answer the phone.

Piper knew she had to get through these next 3 weeks. She had to focus only on her University work and getting her degree. Alex had to take a back seat.

She overheard Alex's side of the phone call.

"Yes Professor Hastings, I'll be right there"

"SHIT!" She said as she slammed the phone down and quickly grabbed her belongings.

"Everything okay?" Piper enquired as she stood from the couch.

"Not really. I'm supposed to be in a staff meeting that started 10 minutes ago. I must be taking tips from you Chapman"

"Are the jokes about my lateness ever going to stop?"

"Probably not" Alex laughed before continuing "…I better go kid. Meet me here at 8am on Monday morning if you want to run through your paper. Have a nice weekend. Don't get into too much trouble!"

Before Piper could reply, Alex was already out of the door and halfway down the hall.

Piper closed the office door behind her and made her way down the corridor. She thought about what Alex had said and she knew she was right. They couldn't risk their future. It was as simple as that. Yet already, she was looking forward to Monday.

* * *

"So sorry I'm late. I had a meeting with a student that ran on longer than planned." Alex said as she finally arrived at Professor Hastings office.

"That's ok, Alex. Please take a seat. We were just discussing student/teacher boundaries."

Alex took her seat and listened to Professor Hastings explain the rules on personal relationships with students. She was trying her absolute best to concentrate but found her mind constantly drifting to the blonde who was just in her office. As if reading her mind, her phone vibrated with a text from Piper.

_Piper: Sorry if I got you in trouble. See you Monday Alex ;)_

Alex tried but failed to hide the smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!


	5. New Jersey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates. Life caught up with me. Hope this makes up for it.

The bright sun streamed in through the half opened window and shone brightly upon Piper's face. She could feel the heat coming through the glass and into her apartment. She sat up, flipped her pillow and lay her head back down on the cool fabric. What a beautiful New York Saturday morning it was. Piper could smell the freshly made bagels from the Deli below, and her stomach growled in response to the scent.

She thought about what she would do with her day. She could meet Polly for their usual hot yoga class. Piper thought better of this when she remembered just how hot it was outside. The class was difficult enough in the winter but this heat made it unbearable. She'd had enough stress this week, sweating buckets wasn't going to rectify this.

The blonde decided she would take a book to Central Park and spend her day there. Being taken in by the words on the page while the hot sun shone down on her made for a perfect afternoon.

"Oh, hey. You're finally awake. Get ready and we can hit the road" Piper was abruptly snapped out of her daydream as her boyfriend entered the bedroom.

'No, no, no, no, no, no, nooooooooo' the voice in Piper's head screamed as the sudden realisation hit her.

She already had plans. How could she have forgotten? Her mind had been far too preoccupied with other things – or other people – this week that she forgot all about the plans Larry had arranged weeks ago. It was too nice a day outside and she wasn't in the right frame of mind, so she decided to try and get out of it although she knew that was an almost impossible task.

She sat up on her knees in bed and pulled her boyfriend close so he was standing next to the nightstand. She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him. She had to get Larry on her side. If she had any chance to avoid this, she had to be reluctantly nice. The perfect girlfriend.

"Larry, do we really have to go?"

"Yes, Piper, we do. My parents are really looking forward to it." He said as he pulled away from Pipers embrace and grabbed her backpack from the nearby wardrobe.

"Here" he said, throwing the backpack on to the bed. "Pack some clothes, get ready and I'll head downstairs and pick us up some freshly made cream cheese bagels."

Piper remained silent.

"Come on, Pipes. We'll have a great weekend, I promise." Larry said as he leaned down, kissed his girlfriend's forehead and made his way down to the Deli.

"FUCK!" Piper exclaimed loudly as soon as she was sure Larry was no longer in the apartment.

The last thing Piper wanted to do this weekend was spent two days at Larry's parents' house in New Jersey and yet that is exactly what she would be doing. Larry had been speaking about these plans all week, yet Piper had managed to drown out his voice completely. Her mind had been elsewhere since the start of the week and she found it incredibly difficult to focus on Larry or listen to him in any way. Now it was Saturday morning, and she couldn't turn back. Unless, of course, she'd prefer to tell Larry that she had forgotten all about the plans for their weekend because her mind had been on Alex Vause all week.

She decided to go with the lesser of two evils and picked up her backpack, half-heartedly filling it with shorts and t-shirts.

'At least it'll be hot and we can go to the beach' Piper thought to herself as she tried to make the best of a very bad situation.

Her constant sighs revealed her true feelings about the weekend ahead.

"Man, that bagel was good. The deli delivers once again." Larry said to Piper as he quickly glanced at her before looking back to the road ahead.

"Yeah" Piper nonchalantly replied as she sat in the passenger seat.

The couple had been in the car for just over an hour and neither of them had said a word. Larry was concentrating on the road ahead and doing his best to avoid causing any damage to the new range rover his parents recently bought him. Piper had her face in a novel, avoiding eye contact and all conversation with Larry. She didn't want to speak to him. She was angry at Larry for dragging her to New Jersey even though it was completely her fault. She should have planned for this. At least then she could make an excuse. She was sick, she had lots of studying to do, anything. Anything that would get her out of this trip. She should have listened to Larry, she should've had her head in the game. 'Damn you, Alex'. Piper concluded that this was all Alex's fault. She had been distracted by her professor way too much this week and now she was paying for it. 'Damn you and your sexiness.'

"You alright, babe? You're pretty quiet" Larry questioned, not taking his eyes off the road for a second.

"I'm fine." Piper replied sternly.

Her voice gave away her true feelings.

"You sure? You sure as hell don't sound fine."

"I'd just rather be at home this weekend, that's all."

Larry tutted, a quick breath escaping his mouth.

"Piper, I've been talking about these plans all week and now we're on the road you tell me you don't want to be here?!"

Larry was getting annoyed, Piper could tell. Larry never shouted and he rarely got angry but when something annoyed him slightly more than it should, his voice got slowly louder and he shook his head a lot.

Piper glanced over at her boyfriend. His head shaking so much that it could fall off, Piper could see the anger building.

"Look, Larry. I forgot. Ok? I made a mistake and I forgot we were taking this trip."

"Less than 48 hours ago I was telling you how excited my Mom was to see you and how my Dad had bought new clubs for that round of golf. How could you forget?"

"I just... I…had other things on my mind."

"Yeah, no fucking kidding."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Piper enquired.

"It means that I don't feel you near anymore. You've been so distant this week. I feel like an afterthought most of the time."

Piper felt a sudden build-up of guilt rise within her. Larry had been an afterthought – he had barely entered her mind all week. He didn't deserve that, he had done nothing wrong. Larry was the most loyal, caring and genuine person Piper had ever met. He deserved better from her.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I've just been focused on school this week that I've not had much time to think about anything else."

"Look, I get it Piper. School is the forefront of your life right now. All I want is a bit of time with my girlfriend, you know?"

"Yeah I do." Piper replied genuinely.

Larry turned to his girlfriend and smiled.

The guilt Piper felt hadn't subsided and her feelings hadn't changed either. She still didn't want to be there. She didn't want to be with Larry.

As she looked out the windscreen and saw the Jersey Shore come into sight, Piper thought about Larry. She had to put on a show this weekend. Everything had to be the same as it used to be. It had to be the same as it was before school started on Monday morning, before Alex Vause came into her life. Piper had to stop Larry from asking questions. She couldn't seem distant, he would know something was wrong.

For all intents and purposes, everything was normal… For this weekend, at least.

"PIPER! It's so great to see you again sweetheart. Come on in!" Mrs Bloom practically shouted as they stood in the doorway.

"Hi, Mrs Bloom. It's good to see you again too." Piper replied as both she and Larry made their way into the house.

"Your father is in the living room. He'll be delighted you're both finally here."

Piper smiled and followed Larry into the large family room on the right side of the luxurious house.

Mr and Mrs Bloom had a beautiful house. It was the type of house Piper dreamed she would live in when her life was in order – whenever that would be. The front rooms looked out into the bright green lawn and the back rooms overlooked the seafront. It was spacious, immaculately clean and very….white. White walls, floors and decoration. The house reeked of innocence. Piper was sure an interior decorator was to thank for the impeccable design of the house. She refused to believe that Larry's parents were responsible for this. Judging by the many Christmas and Birthday gifts they'd bought for Piper over the years, their taste was questionable at best.

"DAD" Larry shouted out as he threw his arms around his father.

"Great to see you, son" he replied before turning his attention to Piper

"Piper! How are you? Is he still treating you well" he asked, pointing to his son.

"Very well" Piper nodded in reply.

"That's what I like to hear…. Now come on. Sit down and watch sports with me. I could use the company. Your Mother has been running around like a madwoman all day."

"I heard that!" Mrs Bloom called out from the kitchen as Piper reluctantly took her seat on the couch.

Piper watched as her boyfriend and Mr Bloom became engrossed in the soccer match. 'How is it possible to be so entertained by middle aged men kicking a ball around a field?' Piper thought to herself as she struggled to understand their obsession with the game.

Piper was bored already. How was she going to last the entire weekend? There were so many other places she wanted to be right now – one in particular became a recurrent thought in her head. She looked around the room, studying everything in sight. From the large fireplace to the huge bay windows and the crystal mirror hanging on the wall, everything in the room was exquisite. Larry's parents had money, which was obvious. These thoughts were reaffirmed as Piper looked out of the large window and saw two brand new Range Rovers and an almost new Mercedes Benz in the drive.

Mr Bloom was a top lawyer in the city and made bags of money with his expensive legal fees. Regardless of how much money they had, nothing made Larry's parents happier than seeing their son happy and they could see how happy he was with Piper, Piper just wished she still felt the same.

"Enough of this!" Mrs Bloom said as she grabbed the remote and turned off the tv.

"Larry, grab you and Piper's things from the car and put them in the guest room. And you…" she pointed at Mr Bloom "…help me set the table, dinners almost ready!"

"Red or white?" Mrs Bloom asked as she dangled two large bottles of wine in front of Piper's face.

"Um… white… please"

"I'll take some white, too" Larry interjected.

Piper watched as Mrs Bloom poured two large glasses of white wine for Piper and her son, Larry getting slightly more in his glass.

"Wow, this looks delicious!" Piper said as she looked down at the fillet steak and grilled veg on the plate in front of her.

"Just hope it tastes as good!" Mr Bloom added, smiling cheekily at his wife.

"Cheers everyone" Larry raised his glass in toast.

"Cheers" echoed around the table before the family – and Piper – tucked in to their dinner.

"Amazing, Ma. As always!" Larry said as he threw his knife and fork on to the empty plate before him.

"Yeah that was great, Mrs Bloom. Thanks so much!"

"Not bad, I guess." Larry's father added.

"Glad you all enjoyed it!" Mrs Bloom said.

Everyone around the table made their way back to the living area and collapsed on to the sofa, unable to move much due to the ridiculous amount of food they'd just consumed.

"So, Larry…" Mrs Bloom said "…How's the writing going? And the magazine? When is the article published?"

Piper tried her best to concentrate and listen to Larry enthusiastically discuss his new business ventures and the many articles he'd recently written but she found her mind drifting and it only had one destination. She wondered what Alex was doing right now. She wished she was with her. She'd trade anything in the world to be with Alex right now. And that's when it hit her, this was more than just a crush. Way more.

"And Piper, how is school going?"

Piper was startled and looked up at Mrs Bloom who was waiting for an answer.

"Yeah it's going great, thanks!"

"That's good. I know how tough the final year can be. How are your Professors? I think that helps tremendously, when you have a good professor."

"They're all really nice. There's one Professor who has been helping me a lot with my dissertation which has taken a bit of the stress off."

Even just talking about Alex brought a smile to Piper's face. As much as she tried to keep the Professor out of her head this weekend, she was still her favourite thought.

"That's nice of him. What does he teach?" Mr Bloom got involved in the conversation.

"She." Piper said. "She teaches advanced marketing."

"Oh" came the reply from across the room.

"Yeah her name is Alex and she's really great. She's only teaching at Litchfield for a couple more weeks before she gets her permanent position at NYU. She's only 26 which is weird having a Professor who is only a couple years older than you, you know? But she really knows what she's talking about, she's really helped me out with my paper. It was Professor Hastings who got Alex the job at Litchfield and she…"

"Wow. You sure know a lot about her." Larry interrupted, his eyebrows raised as he looked at Piper.

Shit. What was she doing? She didn't mean to talk so openly about Alex…she didn't mean to talk about her at all but she couldn't stop herself. The passion in her voice when she spoke of her Professor was obvious and Larry had obviously picked up on it too. How the hell was she going to explain this one?

"I…um…it's just…she…" Piper struggled to find the words to explain her ramblings.

"Right…" Mrs Bloom's voice, unusually welcomed from Piper, said "…who's for dessert?"

Dessert was frosty to say the least and that wasn't just coming from the Baked Alaska on the plate. Larry didn't say a word, instead shovelling spoonful after spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Piper was forced to listen to Mrs Bloom while she rambled on about her friend Denise's new 22 year old toy boy. Piper nodded along enthusiastically, desperately trying to seem slightly interested in the conversation.

Although she knew what was coming, Piper was extremely relieved when Larry excused them from the table.

"Well, ma, dinner was amazing. Piper and I have had a long day with travelling and stuff so I think we'll just head up to bed now."

Larry looked at Piper waiting for her agreement.

"Yeah we're both pretty beat."

"No problem, kids. See you both in the morning. Bright and early for breakfast, remember." Mrs Bloom smiled at the couple.

"Goodnight." Piper replied as she followed Larry to the guest bedroom.

The guest bedroom was just as beautiful as the rest of the house. The pristine white walls had now turned a light shade of grey as the moon shone in through the slightly parted curtains. Piper threw off her shoes and laid down on the large king size bed, which was covered with lime green and silver cushions.

"Man, I'm so full. Your Mom sure knows how to cook. I think I ate more than…"

"Piper, what the fuck was that?" Larry sharply interrupted.

"What are you talking about?"

Piper knew exactly what Larry was talking about. If she played it down, imagined she forgot about it then maybe Larry wouldn't think anything of it. Maybe.

"I'm talking about your outburst earlier. You know, the one when you barely came up for air when talking about some fucking professor."

Larry had always been the jealous type. When they first started dating, he questioned everything. He convinced himself that Piper had been cheating on him with her friend Jason. He said they spent too much time together to just be friends. When Piper introduced Larry to Jason – and his boyfriend – the writer was embarrassed to say the least. He promised Piper that he trusted her and he would stop acting like an ass. But every now and then, he'd ask too many questions. This time was different though. This time, Larry actually had something to be jealous of.

"Larry, keep your voice down." She pleaded with him, not wanting anyone to overhear the anger in his voice.

"Come on Piper, I want answers." He ignored her pleas, his voice just as loud as before.

"There are no answers. I'm just grateful to her that she helped me out. That's all. You know how much this paper has been getting to me. I'm just glad to get it off my chest. I guess I was just a little too animated and over excited to finally have it out of my life." She lied. Every word was a lie. She couldn't care less about the paper. Alex had taken its place.

"You sure that's all it is?" Larry asked as he lay down on the empty side of the bed, his voice now much calmer.

"Larry, what else could it be?" She wanted to know what Larry was thinking. She wanted to know if Larry thought she could be into Alex. How much did he suspect?

"I don't know, Pipes. I've just never heard you speak so admirably about someone."

"She's a good professor. That's all."

"Promise me I have nothing to worry about?" Larry looked at Piper, desperate for the answer that would put his mind at ease.

"You have nothing to worry about." Another lie.

Larry leaned over and hugged his girlfriend. As he did, Piper felt nothing but guilt. Before she could think too much about it, she felt Larry's lips on her neck before they moved to her lips, kissing her deeply, passionately. She struggled to kiss him back but she had to. He would know something was wrong if she made another excuse.

As these thoughts rushed through her head, Larry had strategically placed himself on top of Piper and before she knew it her clothes were on the floor.

"God, I've missed you." Larry said in between their kisses.

Piper didn't reply.

She wasn't into this. Piper's head was somewhere else completely and as her boyfriend moved inside her, she struggled to even look at him.

"Hey…" Larry said, parting his mouth from hers and coming up for breath. "…Where are you?" Larry asked, feeling his girlfriend's distance. She was with Alex. That's where she always was but Larry couldn't know this.

"I'm right here."

'Man, this sun is fucking burning!' Alex thought to herself as she walked through the many sunbathers in Central Park. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and the sun was beating down on Alex's bare shoulders. Her black ray bans covered her face but her grey sleeveless tee and black skinny jeans were drawing in the heat, beads of sweat rolling down her cheeks.

Finally, her apartment block came in to sight and as she stepped through the door, she eyed the couch and immediately collapsed on the brown leather cushions.

As she heard her phone vibrating on the wooden floor, it took a big push for Alex to snap out of her relaxation state and reach down to pick it up. She was glad that she did when she saw the name flash up on the screen.

"Vause! Where have you been hiding?!" Nicky's voice shouted as Alex held the phone to her ear.

Alex wasn't sure where her weekend had disappeared too. It felt like an hour ago that she left campus and now Monday morning was looming. Unusually though, this week she was looking forward to the beginning of the new week.

"Listen…" Nicky continued before Alex could answer her first question. "…A few of us are hitting Sandy's tonight. 2 for 1 cocktails... you in?!"

"I don't know, Nicky. I have to be at work pretty early tomorrow."

"Ah come on, Al. You only need to stay for an hour or so."

Alex hesitated. She really didn't feel up to it. She dreamed of a relaxed night with a hot bubble bath, a glass of wine and a couple episodes of her favourite tv show but she hadn't seen Nicky for a few days and she had been severely lacking in social interaction this weekend.

"Fine. I'll meet you there in an hour."

"That's the Vause I know." Nicky said before Alex hung up. Smiling as she threw her phone on to the couch and made her way to the shower.

Alex made her way into the poorly lit club and her eyes darted around the room looking for her friend. Sandy's was busy and it took Alex a couple minutes to find Nicky in the crowd. Eventually, she saw the back of her friends head. Nicky was hard to miss. Her hair had a mind of its own and was what Alex looked for when searching for her. Alex made her way over to the booth in the corner where Nicky was sitting.

"Hope I'm not interrupting?" Alex announced.

"Vause! You made it! You remember Lorna, right?" Nicky said as she removed her mouth from the petite brunette's lips and focused on Alex.

"How could I forget?" Alex smiled.

Red faced Lorna made her way to the bar leaving Nicky and Alex alone in the booth.

"So, how've you been buddy? Haven't heard much from you this week." Nicky asked slurping on her Gin and Tonic.

"Busy. Some of us have full time, grown up jobs now, you know?" Alex said, smiling at her friend.

"Pfft…" Nicky exhaled. "…How's it going anyway? Still hard up for blondie?"

"To say the least." Alex replied.

Other than her mother, Nicky was the only person Alex had told about Piper. She was the only person she trusted to keep her mouth shut.

"What about Lorna?" Alex continued "…That's still a thing?"

Alex listened as Nicky explained how she felt about her new 'relationship'. She told Alex about Lorna and – more importantly – Lorna's fiancé. Alex listened intently, shaking her head when Nicky told her how Lorna wanted to keep their relationship a secret. The irony not lost on her.

As she listened, Alex noticed a darkened figure approach their booth from the side of her eye.

"Hey Alex."

Alex turned around to be faced with the tall, tanned brunette woman looking down on her.

"Lexie. Hey, how are you?" Alex asked as she could feel Nicky's stare burn in to the side of her face.

Lexie was an old school friend. She and Alex were inseparable during their college years but lost contact once they'd graduated.

Lexie sat next to Alex in the booth as the two ex-friends caught up on the happenings of the years past. All the while, Nicky and Lorna sat opposite.

After a half hour of chatting, Lexie turned and looked Alex straight in the eye.

"So, hey…" She said as she strategically placed her hand on Alex's upper thigh. "…Wanna get out of here?" her hand moving further and further up the brunettes leg.

Alex could hear Nicky almost choke on her drink as she realised her friend had been watching everything.

"I don't think so, Lexie. Not tonight." Alex replied, while looking over at Nicky's face – her mouth open with shock.

"Oh…" Lexie replied, shocked that Alex had rejected her advances "…Are you seeing someone?" she asked.

"Not exactly." Alex replied.

"Ah. I get it. Well it's been great catching up with you Alex. Hopefully see you around sometime." Lexie said as she made her way out of the booth and headed back across the dancefloor to her friends who sat at the opposite side of the club.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Vause?!" Nicky exclaimed as soon as Lexie was out of earshot.

"What are you talking about?"

"Angelina fucking Jolie is all over you and you say no?!"

"I wasn't into her."

"Blind people around the world are into her."

Alex laughed.

"Someone's really got to you Vause." Nicky smiled.

Alex's lips curved slightly before she made her excuses and left the club.

As she walked the short journey back to her apartment, Alex thought about what Nicky had said. Someone had definitely got to her. Piper. The blonde hadn't escaped Alex's mind all weekend and it was becoming increasingly obvious that Alex could try her best but staying away from Piper would become impossible.

She didn't admit to Nicky the real reason why she turned Lexie down. It wasn't because she wasn't into her old friend. She rejected Lexie because her heart was somewhere else. Her heart was with Piper and if Alex couldn't be with her tonight, then she didn't want to be with anyone.

Alex dived in to bed as soon as she got home. She threw the covers over her head and allowed herself some time to be alone with her thoughts. She thought about the week ahead and what experiences it might bring. She thought about Piper and how much she was looking forward to seeing her. Alex had longed to speak to her student all weekend and she struggled to wait a minute longer.

She reached for her phone and typed out a quick but well thought out text.

Alex: Looking forward to tomorrow, kid. 8am sharp. Remember the coffee! ;)

As she placed her phone back on the nightstand, she finally closed her eyes and gave in to the exhaustion that came over her.


	6. But What If I Was Yours?

"Morning" Piper said in an incredibly cheerful way and with a grin big enough to suit her mood.

The reply wasn't quite as chirpy.

"Morning. What can I get you?"

Piper was in a great mood. She felt happier on this chilly Monday morning than she had in a long time. She was happy that the weekend was over with and she didn't have to put up with Larry's parents for a while. She was happy that it was finally Monday morning and of course, she was most happy that in less than 30 minutes she could see Alex again.

Piper had concluded over the very long and incredibly boring weekend that it didn't matter if she and Alex couldn't take things any further just now. She could wait. As long as she still got to see her, to look at her, to speak to her then she'd be happy. So knowing that she had some alone time with Professor Vause this morning, made for a very happy Piper. The text she saw the second she woke up almost sent her over the edge.

"Um... can I have two tall vanilla lattes please?" Piper asked the Starbucks assistant.

"Coming up."

"Oh… can I also have two blueberry muffins?"

"Sure."

Piper wasn't sure what Alex would want and she didn't want to guess. Coffee on a Monday morning was essential and she didn't want to start Alex's week off badly. Unbeknownst to her, that was an impossible task. She decided to duplicate her order and get Alex the same.

"Thanks. Have a great day." Piper cheerily said to the assistant as she grabbed the cups and headed towards campus.

The dreaded sound of the alarm clock rang out around the apartment. Only this time, it filled Alex with glee rather than frustration. She's been waiting all weekend for Monday morning and it was here. She glanced at her phone. No text back. Maybe Piper had changed her mind? Maybe she realised what a big fucked up mess this would become and ran for the hills? Alex would find out the answer in a couple of hours. But first, she had to get ready. She had to look presentable – and hot – in case Piper actually showed up to their 8am meeting.

As she threw on her leather jacket and darted out the front door, Alex thought about the week ahead. Her first week at Litchfield University went surprisingly well and she hoped the second would be just as good. Something inside told her it'd be even better.

She was here again. This was becoming a regular occurrence - one which Piper was more than happy to partake in. She was stood outside Alex' office, waiting to pluck up the courage to knock on the door. Only this time was different. She didn't need any encouragement, she was filled with excitement and all she wanted to do was burst through the door and throw her arms around the professor. Sadly, there were formalities she had to follow.

Piper knew Alex was inside. She could hear her typing loudly on her keyboard – plus she saw her motorbike parked outside on her way in. Before long, her fist was raised and was bouncing off the door.

"Come in." The voice called out and a smile instantly graced Piper's face.

"Hey" The blonde said, stepping inside and closing the door swiftly behind her.

"Hey, kid" Alex replied.

Piper noticed the grin on Alex's face. It was the most genuine smile Piper had seen in a long time. It was like someone had just handed Alex the world. The smile also had hints of relief. Relief that Piper was actually there. She'd actually shown up. For Piper, that was never in doubt.

As Alex walked towards her, Piper could do nothing but take in her beauty. She was so tall, Piper was always looking up at her. Alex had a presence about her. Like nothing could touch her and Piper felt incredibly safe when she was in her company.

As Alex got closer, Piper could feel the butterflies in her stomach build.

"You actually brought coffee?" Alex smiled as she took the cups from Piper.

"And muffins"

"Nice. What kind?"

"Blueberry"

"My favourite." Alex winked at Piper.

"Well, you know, I wanted to start your day off well."

"You certainly did that." Alex replied as she gestured for Piper to follow her to the couch in the corner.

Piper couldn't help but look Alex up and down as she was stood behind her, taking in every inch of her beauty.

Eventually, the two women sat on the sofa sipping on their coffee. There was a very slight nervous silence before Alex swallowed her mouthful of muffin and broke the lull.

"So, Piper, I had a couple ideas about your paper that I wanted to talk you through. I think they might really work."

"Oh. Ok"

Alex continued to tell Piper about the direction she thought she should take her paper in. She recalled doing the same thing with a similar paper when she was in school and receiving top marks for her effort. She spoke about this for a few minutes before a sudden realisation came over her.

"This isn't really interesting, is it?" Alex laughed.

"Not really. But I like hearing you speak so it doesn't really matter what you're talking about."

They shared a sweet smile.

"Ok, well, let's change the subject."

"Then that'd make this a personal meeting and isn't that against the rules?" Piper smiled.

"Technically, yes, but I don't really care."

"Me neither."

"Good. So how was your weekend Piper?" Alex enquired.

"Um… it was ok, I guess."

Piper had debated on whether or not she should tell Alex about Larry. She came to the conclusion that Alex didn't have to know. She and Alex weren't exactly a thing yet and her feelings for Larry were almost non-existent now. Nothing good could come from telling Alex about Larry.

"Just ok? That's not really good enough, is it?"

"I guess not" Piper smiled.

"So, what, no hot dates for Piper Chapman this weekend?" Alex returned the blondes smile.

"No. I guess no one wants to date me." She sarcastically frowned at the Professor.

"Pfft" Alex exhaled, smiling.

"I don't believe that for a second. If you were mine, I would date the shit out of you." Alex laughed, looking Piper directly in the eye.

Suddenly Piper watched as Alex's expression quickly changed. The smile had gone and a look of sadness came over her as she removed her gaze from Piper's and looked at the floor.

"But you're not" she continued, her eyes fixed on the carpet.

Piper was now aware of why Alex's expression had changed. She felt the same sadness. The same realisation had come over them both. They didn't belong to each other. Piper was not Alex's girl but that didn't stop her from imagining.

"But what if I was yours?" Piper asked, smiling at the brunette sitting next to her.

Piper observed Alex's expression flip again. A small smile grew on her mouth and she focused her gaze back on Pipers eyes.

"If you were mine, I'd be the luckiest girl in the world."

Alex was smiling from ear to ear, her eyes staring straight into Piper's. As soon as the words were out, Piper couldn't hide her delight. It was like a shot to her heart. One incredible, powerful, beautiful shot.

"I'd be the lucky one. So what would our first date night be like?" Piper was curious.

Alex answered immediately, hinting to Piper that she already knew the answer.

"Well, I'd pick you up on my motorbike. Then we'd go for dinner and drinks before going on a romantic walk around the streets of New York City. After that, I'd walk you home, kiss you goodnight, then you'd invite me inside and we'd have sex all night." Alex laughed.

"You ass" Piper smiled and playfully punched the Professors arm.

"I would treat you right." Alex said, her expression now genuine.

"I don't doubt it."

The women sat in silence for a couple minutes, gazing into each other's eyes and enjoying the others company.

Alex leaned over and tucked a strand of hair behind Piper's ear before resting her hand on the blondes shoulder.

Piper could feel her insides almost collapse with glee with the touch of Alex's hand.

"We'll make this work, kid"

"I hope so." Piper replied, as her hand reached up and settled on top of Alex's.

They both smiled.

Piper stroked her thumb back and forth on top of Alex's hand. They stayed like that for a few minutes. Just the two of them, in the moment, before the interruption inevitably came.

"Hey, Professor, sorry I'm kinda early." The door had swung open and Alex jumped to her feet.

"Jesus, Luke! Didn't you ever hear of knocking?!" Alex snappily replied to the young man who stood in the doorway.

"Oh sorry, I didn't think you were busy." Luke replied.

"Yeah well I am. Why don't you come back in 10 minutes?"

Alex didn't give Luke a chance to reply. Instead she walked towards him, he shuffled out the door and she slammed the door behind him.

"Man, that kid is an absolute nightmare. He does nothing in class then expects me to spend every hour of the day helping him study for his fucking exams."

"Isn't he lucky…" Piper smiled, before continuing "…I gotta go anyway."

Piper turned to walk towards the door before the sound of Alex's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Wait. What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing. Why?" Piper replied a little too quickly, desperate to know why Alex had asked that question.

"I want to see you. Away from this fucking campus."

Piper smiled.

"I'd like that."

"Good. Meet me at O'Malley's around 7. I doubt we'll be seen there."

"I'll be there."

"Look forward to it, kid" Alex smiled at Piper before the blonde eventually made her way out the door.

Piper couldn't contain her grin as she walked the halls killing time before her next class. Seeing Alex away from campus was exactly what she wanted. To be together with her, where no one knew she was her professor made for the perfect evening and already Piper was counting down the minutes.

"All right, Luke, come on in." Alex said to the young man standing in the doorway.

"Thanks, Professor. Sorry I interrupted you earlier. I didn't realise Chapman was in here." Luke replied.

"I'm helping Piper with her dissertation. That's why she was here." Alex didn't want anyone questioning why Piper was in her office. Thankfully Luke didn't seem to notice anything untoward about the situation.

"Cool" he replied nonchalantly.

Luke casually walked in to Alex's office and immediately made himself at home, heading straight to the sofa and parking his ass on it. Alex followed him, annoyed that he was the one in her office and not a certain blonde.

"So, I've got this big test coming up, and I thought you might be able to give me some studying tips?" Luke asked.

Alex wanted Luke out of her office as quickly as possible. If Piper couldn't be in there with her then being alone with her thoughts and Piper in her head was the second best option. She quickly talked through some study techniques, hoping Luke would take the hint and leave. About halfway through her spiel, Alex noticed that Luke wasn't paying attention at all. Instead, his eyes were fixed on Alex's chest.

"Are you listening to me?" Alex said snapping Luke out of his gaze.

"Oh…yeah…sorry…I was just…"

"We're done here." Alex interrupted, stood up and walked towards the door.

Luke followed, stopping Alex on the way.

"No, wait. I'm sorry. I was listening. It's just… there is another reason why I'm here."

"Which is?" Alex was losing patience quickly.

"I wanted to ask you out on a date?"

"Are you kidding me? You're my student. Don't be so fucking ridiculous."

"I know I'm your student Professor, but I'm 24 not 18" came Luke's reply.

"It doesn't matter, you're barking up the wrong tree."

"Oh come on Alex. I'll take you somewhere super nice and expensive for drinks, what do you say?"

"It's Professor Vause, not Alex and as much as I appreciate your efforts, they're completely wasted on me."

A confused look appeared on Luke's pasty face.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm gay. So I have no interest in dating you now or ever."

Alex was sure she'd never witnessed someone's face turn red as quickly as Luke's did. He struggled to find the words before muttering apologies and practically running out the door.

Alex couldn't contain the small chuckle that escaped her mouth.

She knew telling a student she was gay was probably against some rule and she was certain she shouldn't be discussing her private life with anyone in the university but it had gotten rid of Luke, so she was happy with her decision.

She sat back on her leather desk chair and put her feet up on the desk. Her mind wandered and before long it landed on her favourite topic. Either by pure coincidence or by the power of her mind, her phone vibrated and showed a text from Piper herself.

Piper: Missing you already ;)

Alex: Not half as much as I'm missing you Pipes.

"I know that smile. Sexting Larry?" Polly said, scaring the shit out of Piper so much she dropped her phone on the cafeteria tiles.

"Jesus Christ, Polly. Sneak up on people much?"

"Only all the time. Here, lunch." Polly threw a paper bag towards Piper and sat opposite her in the crowded canteen.

"You forgot to take it this morning. I found it in the fridge." Polly continued.

"Oh shit. Thanks, Pol"

"Anytime. So why did you leave so early today? Doesn't a Monday usually involve sleeping in until the last minute?"

"Usually, yeah. I had some work to do before class today."

Piper hated lying to Polly. She was her best friend and Piper was desperate to tell her about Alex. She was desperate to tell anyone about Alex. She wanted to gush about her feelings and how much she was into her Professor but she couldn't for a number of reasons. Piper had always struggled to keep things to herself. When it came to Polly, this was almost impossible.

"There's something different about you." Polly suddenly said, looking up from her sandwich.

"What do you mean?" Piper grew concerned.

"I don't know. It's like you're glowing… SHIT… you're not pregnant are you?!"

"What?! No, Pol. I'm not pregnant."

"Are you sure? Because accidents happen Piper. You and Larry are still using protection right?!"

"Polly, I'm not pregnant."

"Ok. Good. That'd be a right fucked up mess."

"You're telling me." Piper replied.

Piper couldn't even stomach the thought of sleeping with Larry never mind being pregnant with his child.

"There's definitely something different though…" Polly continued "…you look…happy."

Piper didn't even try to cover up the smile on her face. Instead, she decided to be honest with her friend.

"I am." She replied.

Polly smiled in return.

"Why do I get the feeling there's more to this?" she questioned.

Piper didn't want to do this anymore. She didn't want to lie to Polly. She hated herself from keeping this from Larry, but Polly was different. They'd been best friends for years and they knew each other's deepest, darkest secrets. She'd spare Polly the details but she had to tell her.

"There's someone else." Piper said, her eyes focused on the table in front of her avoiding making eye contact with Polly at all costs.

"Shit…" Polly said, a shocked expression on her face.

"Please don't tell Larry."

"Tell me what's going on Pipes."

"I met someone a while ago. They've made me so happy recently and I can't deny those feelings any more. I haven't done anything with them yet but I don't know how much longer I can control myself."

"Who is he?"

Piper wasn't ready to tell Polly the whole truth yet. One secret a day would suit her. Today, she told Polly there was someone else. The fact that the 'someone else' was a woman and was her Professor could be saved for another day.

"I can't tell you that yet." Piper replied.

Polly understood. She didn't push Piper to give her a name. Instead, she gave Piper her privacy, knowing that she would tell her when she was ready.

"You have to tell Larry."

"I know."

"How are you gonna do it?" Polly enquired.

"I've no idea. I hate having to do this but I have no choice."

"Just promise me you won't hurt him Piper?"

Piper had underestimated how much this would affect Polly. Larry was her friend. It was Polly who introduced him to Piper and now she was stuck in the middle.

"I won't. I promise." They shared a smile.

The friends spent the next hour talking about Piper's love life. Polly asked questions and Piper answered as best she could while keeping Alex's identity anonymous. Piper felt relieved. Even though she hadn't told Polly the full story yet, just sharing her feelings and emotions with someone else took a big weight off her shoulders.

"Shit…" Polly suddenly exclaimed "…I gotta go, I was supposed to meet Pete a half hour ago."

"Wow…that's still a thing? That's gotta be a world record for you, Pol" Piper smiled.

"Yeah you're one to talk. I'll see you later." Polly winked at her friend before exiting the cafeteria and heading back out into the crowded hallways.

Piper watched her friend leave. The relief she felt overpowered her and she closed her eyes for a couple seconds picturing the only one who mattered, Alex.

Her daze was cut short when her phone vibrated at volume on the table.

As she read the screen, her heart sank.

Larry: Hey Pipes. I hope your day is going well. Maybe see you tonight. I love you so much, babe.

Suddenly, the relief she felt was replaced with a horrible guilt that she couldn't escape.

"You're here late, Professor" Alex looked up from her computer screen to see Professor Hastings in her doorway.

"Yes. I'm just catching up on some work before meeting a friend in an hour or so." She replied looking at the bottom right corner of her computer screen: 18:02… 58 minutes more. 58 minutes until she'd see Piper again.

Professor Hastings chuckled.

"Alex, as much as I appreciate your dedication, your work day finished over an hour ago. Go home."

"Thanks Professor" Alex smiled in return.

"Goodnight, Alex. Enjoy your evening."

"I intend to." Alex muttered under her breath and Professor Hastings disappeared down the hall.

She looked at the time again: 18:04. Shit, it was dragging in. She freshened herself up in the mirror and quickly changed her clothes. She knew keeping a spare set of clothes in her locker would come in handy one day. Today was that day. She pulled on a pair of ripped, skinny, navy jeans and a black AC/DC tank top. She laced up her boots, threw on her leather jacket and grabbed her helmet. 'Better to be early than late' she thought to herself as she made her way out of the building – the nerves in her stomach building with each passing step.

"SHIT" Piper shouted as the mascara brush made forceful contact with her eyeball.

It was 6:04pm and she was stood naked in front of her bathroom mirror putting on her makeup. She wanted to look perfect. Tonight was important and Piper wanted to make sure Alex saw her as what she was – a woman - not her student.

Once she was happy with her face, she fixed her hair and ran into her bedroom quickly slamming the door shut before Polly or Pete who were in the next room saw her in all her glory.

She decided to wear a black bandage dress which she always got compliments on. She finished her look with black shoe-boots and a fitted black blazer.

She must have checked her appearance over 20 times before finally settling on her look.

"Hot date?" She heard Polly ask as she opened her bedroom door and made her way out of the apartment.

"Something like that." Piper smiled as she turned her head to face her friend.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do" Polly winked at Piper before closing the door behind the blonde.

Piper bounced down the stairs and into the chilly New York streets. As she hailed a cab, she struggled to remember a time in her life when she'd ever felt as excited as she did in that moment.

O'Malley's was busy. There were people in every seat and crowds of friends gathered as the bar. It had the cosiest, warmest atmosphere of any bar in New York. Candles burned on every table and the soothing soul music played from speakers at every corner.

As soon as Piper entered the bar, her eyes immediately darted around the room looking for Alex. When she didn't automatically spot her, she checked her watch: 19:01. Was she late?

Piper's questions were quickly answered when she heard Alex's deep voice call out to her.

"Piper" she waved the blonde over as she spotted her.

Alex was sat in a secluded booth in the far corner of the bar. It was a spot which allowed a little privacy even in such a crowded atmosphere.

As soon as Piper saw Alex, her heart felt like it skipped a beat. She looked shit hot and Piper knew all the efforts she had put in to controlling herself when she was with Alex were very likely to go to waste tonight.

As she made her way towards the brunette who was standing next to the table, she witnessed a smile appear on Alex's face and watched carefully as Alex's eyes looked her up and down. After what felt like a lifetime, Piper finally made it to Alex.

"Hey, kid" Alex leaned over and kissed Piper on the cheek, immediately sending a shiver through Piper's entire body.

"Hey yourself." Piper replied as they both sat on opposite sides of the booth.

"I bought you a drink."

"So I see…" Piper said as she took a sip from the glass that sat in front of her. "…Margarita, my favourite. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess." Alex smiled.

Piper couldn't contain the happiness that had come over her or the delight that she felt to be with Alex again. Despite this happiness, Piper was still unsure why exactly Alex wanted to see her tonight.

"So why did you ask me here, Al?"

"I wanted to see you. Away from school where there are always interruptions and prying eyes. I wanted to talk."

"About what?"

"About us."

Piper was glad to finally have her thoughts confirmed. There was an 'us'. Piper and Alex were a 'thing' although Piper was still unsure on what that thing actually was.

"What about us?" Piper smiled.

Alex closed her eyes, looked down at the table and took a large drink. It was like she was preparing herself for what was about to come out of her mouth.

"I like you Piper."

Piper smiled in reply but Alex continued.

"I mean, I really fucking like you."

Piper looked in to Alex's eyes, unable to break the moment that was occurring between them.

"I really fucking like you too." Piper replied feeling like she was about to explode with joy.

Alex smiled. A soft smile. In that moment Piper could see it, Alex liked her as much as she liked Alex.

"So what do we do now?" Piper questioned.

"We wait."

Piper removed her gaze from Alex's eyes and focused on the table in front of her. Her expression quickly changed and the ecstasy that was just splashed across her face had gone.

Alex noticed the change immediately.

"It sucks, I know. But if we do anything just now and someone finds out, you could get expelled and I could get fired. If we wait two weeks, I won't be your teacher anymore and we can be together. Finally."

Piper didn't want to wait. She couldn't.

"I don't wanna wait Alex. I want you right here. Right now." She seductively looked at the brunette.

"Fuck" Alex whispered under her breath.

"Two weeks Pipes, two weeks and you can have me anywhere you want."

They shared a cheeky smile.

Piper's feelings hadn't changed, she still didn't want to wait but Alex was right and she hated that. She had to ignore how turned on she got whenever Alex was around. Instead, she had to think rationally. She had to try, at least.

"You ever played pool?" Alex asked as her eyebrows raised and she looked over at the blonde.

"Not very well." Piper replied, knowing she was probably the worst pool player in the world.

"Come on…" Alex said standing up and holding out a hand for Piper "…I'll teach you."

Piper grabbed the Professors hand and followed Alex to the pool table at the opposite end of the bar.

"Catch…" Alex said as she threw the que over to Piper and laughed when the blonde struggled to catch it.

"You're gonna be tough competition, kid. I can tell already. I'll break." She winked in Piper's direction.

Piper watched as Alex hit her shot. Her toned arms threw the que forward as she leaned over the table, her cleavage on show for Piper's eyes only. 'Fuck, she's hot.' Piper struggled to get this thought out of her head.

"You're turn." Alex smirked.

"I thought you were gonna teach me?" Piper's eyebrows raised.

Alex walked towards her, her eyes focused on Pipers the entire time. She wrapped Pipers hands in place around the que and stood behind her.

"Like this" Piper asked, as she attempted to get into the correct position before hitting her shot.

"No. Like this…" Alex walked behind Piper and leaned in to her. Piper could feel her ass rub against the buckle of Alex's belt. Alex pushed Piper forward slightly, placed her hands over the blonde's and leaned her chin on Piper's shoulder.

"That's better" Alex whispered as Piper could feel her hot breath on her neck.

"Fuck, Alex…" Piper struggled to keep her feelings to herself.

Alex pulled Piper's hands back as she hit the shot. She still didn't manage to get the ball in the hole but she put that down to a certain distraction rather than her actual pool skills.

"I can't believe you didn't let me win." Piper exclaimed as the pair stepped outside O'Malleys and into the cold and crisp New York air.

"I'm incredibly competitive, Pipes. You'll get to learn that." Alex smiled in return.

"Come here. I wanna show you something." Alex said as she placed her hand on the small of Piper's back and led her away from the bar, Piper once again shivering under Alex's touch.

Alex led her down a lane behind O'Malleys at the end of which was a large spiral staircase.

"Come on." Alex said as she made her way up the stairs. Piper followed, the excitement in her stomach and everywhere else building once again.

Eventually they reached the final few steps and Piper gasped when she stepped on to the rooftop and saw the view that was waiting for her.

"Oh my God." She exclaimed as she looked over the New York City skyline. She felt like she was looking down on everything she had ever known. Her whole life was down there. Her friends, family, everything but the one thing that mattered most was there with her. She felt like she was on top of the world and she was.

"Alex, how did you find this place?" she asked as she walked over and stopped next to Alex. Both of them now leaning on the ledge facing the bright lights of New York.

"I used to come up here a lot when I was younger. It was my escape from everything. Somewhere that I could be alone and where I felt safe. Plus, the view isn't bad either." She smiled.

"Wow. It's really amazing." Piper said, still captivated with the view in front of her and the woman next to her.

"I've never shared this with anyone before, Piper. You're the first person who knows about this place."

Piper turned to face Alex, their eyes interlocked once more.

"What made you share it with me?"

"You're special."

Piper smiled. A smile that was quickly returned.

Her hand reached over and stroked Alex's cheek. As her thumb moved slowly back and forth and her hand cupped her face, Alex closed her eyes and smiled as she leaned in to Piper's hand.

After a few seconds, Alex removed Piper's hand with her own. She interlinked their fingers and stroked Pipers hand which fit perfectly into hers.

She stared lovingly into Piper's eyes.

"I'm really glad you're here, Piper."

"Me too." Piper replied, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.

They sat in silence for 20 minutes. Enjoying each other's company and the view in front of them. Their hands were still gripped together and Piper rested her head on Alex's shoulder. A contented sigh escaping the brunette's mouth as she did.

"I guess we better go." Alex said as she heard last orders at O'Malley's downstairs being called out.

They both reluctantly stood up and made their way down the spiral staircase, their hands still locked together as they made their way up the dark and quiet lane next to the bar.

Piper didn't want the night to end. She wanted to be with Alex, to feel more of her.

Her heart took over her head as she stopped suddenly, turning to face Alex, her heart beating heavily through her chest.

Alex stared into Piper's eyes.

"What is it?" The brunette said, concerned.

"Kiss me."


	7. Sharing Secrets

'6…7…8…' 8 seconds. That's how long Alex had been staring down at the frosty sidewalk between her feet. Eight seconds since Piper had put herself out there. She was getting impatient.

"Al, don't leave me hanging, please?"

Alex looked up, her eyes meeting Piper's, both her hands clutching on to the blonde's. It took every bit of willpower Piper had in her body not to place her lips on Alex's right then and there.

Finally, she spoke… which wasn't the reply Piper was hoping for.

"Piper I can't. Even though I want nothing more." Alex sighed.

She brought her forehead down and leaned it against Pipers, their lips only centimetres apart. Piper was breathing heavily, her arousal building and coursing its way through her body.

"Are you sure Alex? It's inevitable."

"I know it is, baby."

"I want to feel your lips against mine, I want your tongue exploring every part of me." Piper said breathily, her lips moving closer to the brunettes.

"Fuck…" she exhaled "…Piper, don't do this, this is difficult enough as it is. Two weeks, we have to wait two weeks."

Piper was defeated but she knew Alex was right. She also knew she couldn't last two weeks, however.

"I guess it was worth a shot, right?" Piper said as she pulled her forehead away and smiled softly at Alex.

Alex reached her hand over and cupped Piper' cheek. Piper relaxed into Alex's cold palm and smiled.

"Come on, kid. Let's get you home."

Alex put her arm around Piper's waist and they both made the short walk to Piper's apartment.

"This is nice." Alex said as she and Piper walked together along the sidewalk, passing a few strangers and drunks on the way. Alex's arm was still around Pipers waist. Piper snuggled close to her as they were now only a few feet away from Pipers apartment.

"Yeah… it actually feels like we're a proper couple." Piper smiled as Alex glanced towards her.

"We will be soon."

Piper sighed in contentment.

"This is me." Piper said, saddened that they were now at her apartment and the night was inevitably about to end.

"Wow… nice place."

"Thanks. I'd offer to show you the inside but I think I already know what your answer will be."

"Yeah I think that could be dangerous." Alex replied, the corners of her mouth slowly turning upwards.

Piper felt both of Alex's arms wrap around her waist. In reply, she threw her arms around her Professors neck. Now would be the perfect time for their first kiss. As if by magic, Alex read her mind.

"Two weeks." She whispered in Pipers ear. Piper almost melting at the feel of Alex's lips grazing her ear lobe.

She moved away slowly and placed her lips on Piper's cheek, lingering for a second or two longer than normal before their eyes met once more.

"Goodnight, Piper." Alex said as she turned and made her way back down the street they'd both just walked along.

Piper watched her leave and smiled as Alex turned to look back at her, a seductive smirk splashed across her face.

She struggled with the lock, being as quiet as humanly possible. The last thing she wanted was a barrage of questions from Polly, she'd deal with that in the morning. Finally she made it through the front door and tip toed to her bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her and throwing herself on the bed.

She lay there alone for a half hour, doing absolutely nothing. She thought of Alex, she thought about the way she made her feel. She couldn't and wouldn't deny the happiness that Alex had brought to her life.

Her hand pulled up the bottom of her dress and slowly made its way into her black lace underwear. Her legs spread and she quivered under her own touch, her wetness quickly covering her fingers. Her breathing was heavy. How was it possible for one person to barely touch her but turn her on so much?

Just as her eyes closed and she was about to give in and lose control with thoughts of Alex circling in her head, she was interrupted with the vibration of her phone on the nightstand.

Alex: I meant to say, you looked fucking hot tonight, baby.

Piper: Thanks. I'm just lying in bed thinking about you. I guess that's kinda dangerous too, huh?

Alex: It is. But I'm doing the same.

Piper: Why didn't you kiss me tonight?

Alex: I wanted to, Pipes, you know that but I can't risk it.

Piper: I really needed you to kiss me, Al.

Alex: There's nothing I wanted more than to pull you into my arms and kiss you like you've never been kissed before.

Piper: Is that what you plan on doing… kissing me like I've never been kissed before? ;)

Alex: Hell yeah.

Piper: Two weeks might not work for me.

Alex: …

Piper: Goodnight Vause.

Alex threw her phone on the nightstand, unable to remove the smile from her face.

She replayed the night over and over in her head as she lay on top of her bed. She had never wanted anything more than to kiss Piper tonight. She was staring at the ground, avoiding eye contact with the blonde because she knew that the second she looked at her she wouldn't be able to control herself and her mouth would be all over Piper's. That couldn't happen. Not now.

As she laid back on the bed, she imagined what their first kiss would be like. She knew Piper would be a good kisser. As she imagined Piper's tongue exploring her mouth, she felt the heat build between her legs.

Alex got under the covers and explored her own body, wishing intently that Piper's hands could replace her own in that moment.

As her arousal built and she reached her climax, Piper's face was all that she saw. In that moment, she knew this was real. If Piper could still be at the forefront of her thoughts when she was at her most vulnerable, then it was meant to be. They were meant to be and they would be... in two weeks.

Alex came down slowly from her high and drifted off to sleep wishing that Pipers arms were around her holding her close.

"You got home late."

"Shit." Piper whispered as the shock of the sudden voice behind her made her drop the butter knife on the cold kitchen tiles.

"What were you waiting up for me?" she replied as she quickly picked up the knife and continued buttering her toast.

"I'm a light sleeper Pipes."

Piper was sure she had been quiet enough last night to not wake Polly. What she had forgotten was that Polly woke up at the sound of a pin drop. She should've prepared better for the incoming interrogation. Piper still wasn't ready to tell Polly about Alex. Unfortunately, she didn't think she had much of a choice anymore.

"So where were you?" Polly asked as she and Piper both sat at the kitchen table.

"I was out."

"I gathered that with the fact that you weren't in. Who were you out with?"

"Just… someone."

"You were out with the guy you're cheating on Larry with, weren't you?"

Shit. Now she was locked in. Piper couldn't get out of this one easily. She knew Polly would get the truth out of her one way or another. Regardless of whether or not Piper wanted to reveal all.

"Polly…"

"Come on Pipes, at least give me a name."

"Alex."

"Ok. So tell me about Alex. What does he do?"

This was it. This was the moment she had been dreading. Telling Polly she was seeing someone else was difficult enough but telling her she was seeing a woman seemed completely unbelievable. But, over such a short period of time, Alex had become a huge part of her life and on some level, Piper wanted nothing more than to share that with the world.

"She. Alex is a she."

Piper stared at the brown toasted bread in front of her, the smell of freshly brewed coffee surrounding her.

The two seconds that Polly took to reply felt like two hours. Piper looked up at her friend. Polly's mouth was open, her face in shock and slightly reddened.

"Wow…" escaped Polly's mouth.

"Pol, please don't make a massive deal of this."

"Piper, this is a big fucking deal. Since when were you into women?"

The truth had to come out. Piper couldn't keep it sacred to herself anymore.

"I guess I always have been. I always knew it myself, but I've never really told anyone. I said to myself that if I met a woman that I could actually see myself having a future with then I'd let the world know in a second."

"But you're in a relationship with a man?" A confused Polly said.

"Yeah, I know. I can appreciate when a man is attractive but the emotional connection I have with Alex doesn't even compare."

"So you're bisexual?"

"I guess. I don't really like to label it either way."

Polly had confused written all over her face. She, and everyone else, had never questioned Piper's sexuality. Now, not only was she 'coming out' but she was actually seeing a woman. Polly was desperately trying to take all of this information in and make sense of the bombshell Piper had just hit her with. Just as she was getting her head around it, Piper threw something else into the mix. Better to get everything out at once, right?

"Pol, there's something else…"

Polly looked up unsure if she wanted to know anything else.

"It's Alex Vause. She's the woman I'm seeing."

If Polly looked shocked before, you'd have to invent a whole new word to describe the look that was on her face at that moment.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Piper! Professor Vause?! What the fuck were you thinking?!"

"I wasn't thinking Polly, it just happened."

"Fuck…You know she'd get fired and you'd get expelled if anyone found out?"

Piper knew that. She'd known it for days and it was that exact fact that meant she and Alex couldn't be together right now.

"Polly I know, believe me. I've been repeating that fact in my head for days. Alex and I have agreed not to take things too far until the end of the semester. The truth is I really really like her and I've never felt like this before. As much as I know it's the sensible thing to do, I can't walk away from this. No chance."

A warm smile appeared on Polly's face as Piper's feelings became clear to her.

"I'm happy for you Piper, I really am. Please just promise me you'll be careful? Getting involved with a Professor rarely ends well."

"I know and I promise."

Polly jumped from her seat and threw her arms around Piper. The relief Piper felt was indescribable. She'd been longing to tell someone about Alex since the moment she first saw her and now that she'd not only shared this with Polly but she had her friend's support was so overwhelming she felt a light tear grace her cheek.

"I gotta admit Pipes, you've got good taste…Vause is fucking hot."

The friends shared a smile before Polly winked and exited the kitchen.

Telling Polly the biggest secret she'd ever kept, took much longer than Piper had planned. She hadn't planned on telling Polly today, in fact she hadn't planned on telling her at all… at least not anytime soon but the time was right that morning, the moment was perfect and she didn't want to lie to Polly. She knew that would be the result of Polly's interrogation so she swallowed a few brave pills and spilled everything before Polly could work it out for herself. The relief was unlike anything she'd experienced before but it had come at a price, she was now late for class. Thankfully, it wasn't Alex's class so she couldn't throw in any more quips about Piper's timekeeping…although they did bring a small smile to Piper's face every time.

She gulped down the remainder of her coffee and dashed into the shower almost tripping over the heels she had thrown off last night.

She didn't have time to fix her hair, she looked in the mirror and applied a light coverage before throwing on an old pair of black skinny jeans and a light jean shirt. She raced to the front door, threw it open but was stopped in her tracks by the dark figure in the doorway.

"Larry" Piper said as her boyfriend stood in front of her.

"Hey Pipes. I thought we could grab some breakfast?" Larry said as he smiled at the blonde.

"Sorry…" Piper replied as she closed the door behind her and made her way down the street "…I already ate."

"Ok, dinner tonight?" Larry shouted after Piper as she got further and further away.

"Maybe…" Piper replied "…I'll call you."

Piper barely looked back at Larry as she replied. She told herself it was because she was in a hurry to get to class and although that was partly true, she knew the real reason why she couldn't look her boyfriend in the face and it had nothing to do with timekeeping.

The journey from Piper's apartment to Litchfield University was a short one. That day a million thoughts managed to race through Piper's mind during the 10 minute walk to school. For the first time in a week, Alex was not the forefront of Piper's thoughts. Today, it was Larry.

Piper knew she had to tell Larry that she couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't be in a relationship with him. She'd decided that she wouldn't tell him about Alex, that wouldn't do anyone any good.

Although her and Alex technically hadn't done anything yet, it was still cheating and Piper knew this. She hated that she was a cheater and she hated what she'd done to Larry. But, she couldn't stop herself with Alex. She couldn't not pursue her. She'd regret it for the rest of her life.

"Piper Chapman. Nice of you to grace us with your presence today!"

"I'm so sorry, Professor Hastings. Time got away from me this morning." Piper replied as she dashed through the door and took her seat at the back of the dim, clammy classroom.

"You know how I feel about time keeping, Ms Chapman. Be on time or don't be here at all. Remember that for the future."

"Yes, Professor."

God, he was such an asshole. If that was Alex's class she was late for, the Professor would've laughed it off and poked fun at her later. Why can't all Professors be like Alex? In fact, scrap that. That'd ruin the point. Alex is the only one who can be like Alex.

Piper was glad to eventually get to class, albeit later than she should've made her appearance. She was glad to finally be able to concentrate on something other than how much of a huge fuck up she'd been with Larry. She'd deal with that later.

Piper listened intently as Professor Hastings discussed the many advertising campaigns he thought were most effective, Piper took notes vigorously and made a mental note to check the ads out later. Deep down, she knew she'd never see or hear of any of those ads at any moment again in her entire life.

She put the time in to her work today. She felt like she'd fallen behind over the past week and a half and she had to get back up to scratch. This semester was pivotal in Piper's future. Alex or no Alex wouldn't change that.

She must've worked hard during Professor Hastings class because before she knew it, the hour was up and she was packing her books in to her khaki coloured backpack.

"Thanks, Professor." Piper said as she made her way into the crowded hallway.

"Be on time next time." She heard the Professor shout to her as she let out a small smile and made her way down the corridor.

She saw Alex's door come into view. She figured she'd say a quick hello before heading to the library to study for the rest of the day.

The nervousness had gone and the intimidation she felt whenever she saw Alex had vanished completely. Now it was excitement. She swallowed the butterflies in her stomach and made her way to Vause's office. The excitement she felt was replaced with intense disappointment when she saw Alex's office was empty.

She debated on whether she should text her but quickly dismissed that idea. She wasn't one to chase. She'd stop by Alex's office at the end of the day. Surely she'd be there then.

3pm. Third cup of coffee of the afternoon and still, nothing was going in. The finals were in little over a weeks' time and Piper still had no idea what the main topics were.

She sat in front of the pc, her headphones blasting out Florence and the Machine and she was reading, or attempting to read, Professor Hastings study guide. It was so fucking boring. She had just read the same sentence three times over and she still had no idea what it meant.

She looked around the library at the 13 other students reading the same study guide. They were focused on the screen, writing pages of notes and nodding enthusiastically. Piper was lacking that motivation at the time when she needed it most.

Her heart was only half in it. She kept checking her phone to see if Alex had text. They didn't have a class together today and Piper expected to hear from her. She couldn't hide the slight disappointment she felt every time she checked her phone and saw no new notifications.

After another hour of attempting to take in the words on the screen in front of her, Piper packed up her things, shut down the pc and left the library. She decided to take the long way out of the building – the way which would allow her to pass Alex's office. She walked slowly down the neutral coloured hallway, savouring every step knowing she was getting closer and closer to Alex. This time she couldn't be disappointed, right?

Wrong. Piper popped her head through the door… still no Alex. She didn't want to go home already, she had been hoping to see Alex all day but she didn't have a choice. She didn't want to hang about at school hoping to see her Professor. What would Alex think if she found out? As much as Piper wanted to be, she wasn't clingy and she couldn't scare Alex off.

The blonde made her way down the four flights of stairs and out the side door of the campus. As she stepped out into the late afternoon haze, her phone rang. Hoping it was Alex, she picked it up without looking at the caller ID first.

"Hello?" Piper said.

"Hey babe." The reply came but it wasn't the voice Piper wanted to hear.

"Larry… hey." Piper tried hard to sound pleased to hear from her boyfriend.

"So I was thinking, tonight, me and you, that new sushi place on 10th what do you say?"

"Umm… I don't know Larry… I have a lot of studying to do." Part of that sentence was true.

"Come on, Pipes. Let's just have dinner and talk. We haven't seen much of each other recently and I miss you."

"…Ok." Came the reply. Tonight was the night. Tonight was the night she'd end things with Larry. They'd have dinner then she'd tell him. That was the plan.

"Great. Pick you up at 8?"

"Sure." Piper replied.

"Can't wait. I love you."

"See you tonight." Piper replied quickly and shut off her phone. She couldn't tell Larry she loved him because she didn't. Those feelings she once had for him were gone completely. Even at their strongest, the feelings Piper had for Larry didn't even put a dent in the feelings she felt for Alex.

She made her way towards her apartment, the warm sun setting and a cool breeze flowing through her hair. She passed some of the students from her class sitting outside a local sports bar. She smiled at them and walked past.

"Chapman…" one of the boys called out "…come and have a drink with us."

"I can't Mendez. I have plans." Piper called back as she glanced over her shoulder to face the group.

"Ah come on! It's Friday night."

"I'll maybe catch up with you guys later." Piper smiled and continued on her way, knowing there was no chance on earth she'd be seeing those guys tonight.

Finally, the brick steps leading up to her building came into view. Piper slowly climbed the 12 steps and made her way into the cool air conditioned apartment – she knew leaving the fan on this morning was a good idea, despite Polly's protests.

She threw her backpack into her room, grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and collapsed on the sofa. She thought about tonight and telling Larry. She knew she had to do it and it had to be tonight. She tried to think of a script and what way she could word it that would be least hurtful.

'Larry, I think we should take a little bit of a break, I'm just so busy with school and stuff…' No, she didn't want a break, she wanted a break-up.

'Larry, I think we're just better suited as friends…' Ugh. The cliché of all clichés. She couldn't say that with a straight face.

Just as she thought she had found the perfect opener, Piper's phone vibrated with a new text message. She grabbed the iPhone from the back pocket of her jeans and the now familiar instant smile made another appearance as she saw who the sender was.

Alex: Sorry I didn't see you today Piper, I was stuck in meetings all day!

Piper: Sounds exciting. That's ok…It wasn't like I was hoping to see you all day or anything… ;)

Alex: I was almost ready to fake-faint just to get away from Professor Hastings monotonous voice.

Piper: I'd have paid to see that!

Alex: He did tell me something interesting though…

Piper: Really?

Alex: Yeah. He said you were late to class today. Naughty ;)

Piper: My bad. I guess I should be punished for that, right?

Alex: Definitely. I'll let Professor Hastings know you're ready for a spanking…

Piper: Oh, you asshole. I just gagged on my water.

Alex: Haha sorry kid. How was your day anyway?

Piper: It sucked because I didn't see you.

Alex: Mine too. So what are you doing tonight?

Piper: I have dinner plans which I'm really dreading.

Alex: Ah, well I'm sorry to hear that because I was going to ask if you were still interested in that date? ;)

Piper: What date was that?

Alex: You asked me the other day to describe to you what our first date would be like. I thought I'd show you instead… but if you already have plans…

Piper: Plans cancelled. Date me, Vause ;)

Alex: Oh I will. I'll pick you up at 7pm. xo

Piper, once again, struggled to come down from her high and wipe the smile off her face. She was soon snapped back to reality when she realised the time. 5:30… SHIT! Alex was picking her up in 90 minutes and she looked like she'd just woken up. She almost forgot, but before she rushed into the bathroom for her second shower of the day, she sent Larry a text cancelling their plans. All guilt she had felt now replaced with excitement.

Piper: Hey Larry. I have to cancel tonight, I have a migraine. Speak soon.


	8. The Perfect Date

Ready… with ten minutes to spare. In 80 minutes, Piper had showered, washed and dried her hair, put her make up on, decided on what to wear, gotten changed, accessorized and sat on the couch and that's exactly where she was now. Piper took far longer deciding on what to wear than she should have. Eventually, she decided on her skinniest black jeans, black heels, a plain white top and a long grey blazer. Her hair was straight and settled just below her shoulders.

The nerves in her stomach increased as it got slowly closer to 7pm. She wondered what tonight would hold. She had one recurring thought that replaced all others, however. Would Alex kiss her tonight?

She swallowed the butterflies and snapped out of her daydream as she heard the buzzer go off.

"Be right down." Piper said as she picked up the handset and quickly set it back on the intercom base.

She looked in the mirror once before opening the door and making her way down the stairs.

"Fuck…" Piper exhaled as she saw Alex standing at the bottom of the stairs leaning against the brick wall with her hands in her pockets.

She was wearing black jeans, lace up boots, a tight burgundy coloured top and a black leather jacket. It was a cliché, and Piper hated clichés, but Alex almost definitely took her breath away.

The glimmer in Alex's eyes appeared as she turned and faced Piper.

"Hey" she said as she held out her hand and helped Piper down the few remaining steps.

"Hey yourself." Piper replied as she threw her arms around Alex pulling her into a warm embrace.

"You look incredible." Alex whispered in Pipers ear before grazing her cheek with a soft kiss.

Piper smiled. Completely intoxicated by Alex's presence.

"Now come on…" Alex said clutching Pipers hand and quickly making her way to the next block "…I have a surprise for you."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" Piper exclaimed as they turned the corner and Alex's 'surprise' became clear.

"Not kidding, Pipes. Here… catch" Alex said as she threw Piper a black helmet, a gloating smirk appearing on her face.

"Alex, I've never been on a motorbike before. I don't know what to do." A worried Piper replied.

Alex's smile quickly disappeared as she saw the concern in Piper's eyes. She walked towards her and took both the blondes hands in her own.

"Piper…" Alex looked her dead in the eye "…Do you trust me?"

"Completely." Piper replied.

"Then it's all good..." Alex smiled "…lets go."

The two women put their helmets on and threw their legs over the bike. Piper sat behind Alex but moved as close to the brunette as she could.

"You ready?" Alex shouted through her helmet.

Piper nodded and Alex started the engine.

Thankfully, the roads were quiet. Piper was sure she would have had a panic attack if they were any busier.

As Alex sped through the little traffic, Piper clutched her arms around her, holding her close. She rested her head against Alex's back, enjoying the freedom they could experience while no one could see their faces.

Piper kept her eyes closed the entire time, she felt opening them while speeding through the streets on a motorbike was one step too far out of her comfort zone for the evening. She only realised they had reached their destination when Alex slowed down and stopped the bike.

"We're here." Alex said as she removed her helmet and held her hand out for Piper to take.

'"Oh my God." Piper laughed as she removed her helmet and realised where they were.

"What? You don't like the funfair?" Alex smiled in reply.

"Alex I fucking love it. You're a genius."

"I like to think so." Alex said as she placed her hand on the small of Piper's back and guided her towards the bright lights.

"Pipes, I've got this." Alex said as she took the soft ball from Pipers hand and lined up her shot.

"Miss, you have to knock all the bottles down to win a prize." The man behind the stall said.

"Yeah, I know." She smiled sarcastically in return.

Piper had tried this game at least three times already tonight, missing the bottles completely every time. On her fourth shot, Alex decided she'd give it a go.

"Good luck. I'm pretty sure they're fucking glued together." Piper whispered as Alex took the ball from her hands.

Alex smiled.

She lined up her shot and with one quick thrust of her right arm, the ball was thrown and every bottle hit the floor.

"FUCK YEAH!" Alex exclaimed.

"Shh" Piper replied laughing as she heard the mothers behind her tutt and complain about Alex's language.

Alex shrugged, not bothered by anyone's objections.

"Pick a prize." Said the voice behind the counter.

"What one do you want baby?" Alex smiled and looked at Piper.

She picked out the white bear carrying the red heart. Alex took it from the assistant and immediately handed it to Piper.

"From me to you." She winked as they made their way to the cotton candy stand.

"You're not afraid of heights, are you?" Alex asked Piper as they made their way on to the big wheel.

"Kinda…" Piper replied as they took their seats in their carriage "…Will you keep me safe?"

"Always." Alex smiled before handing Piper the pink cotton candy.

The journey to the top of the wheel was only a few minutes long and Piper struggled to keep her eyes on the view the whole time, continually sneaking glances of Alex out of the side of her eye.

As they reached the top, Alex moved closer and whispered in Piper's ear, sending a shiver throughout the blonde's entire body.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on the view, Pipes?"

"That's kinda difficult with you sitting right next to me." Piper replied.

"I know the feeling."

Alex moved her arm and put it around Piper's shoulder. Piper replied instinctively by placing her head on Alex's chest. They sat there in silence for the next few minutes, just enjoying being together. They looked out into the New York skyline. They felt a million miles away – and Piper was ok with that.

Just before they started to make their descent back down to ground level, Alex placed her lips on Piper's forehead. Piper looked up and met Alex's eyes, they both shared a warm, heartfelt smile.

After no time at all, they had reached the ground. Alex stood up first and held her hand out for Piper. Piper took Alex up on her offer and grabbed hold of her hand. They interlocked their fingers and walked back towards Alex's parked motorbike, grasping tightly to each other the entire time.

"You ready to end the night on a high, Pipes?" Alex said as the women reached the parked motorcycle outside the funfair gates.

"I guess that depends on what you're planning… it can't be anything too dangerous, remember?" Piper winked in reply.

"It's not dangerous."

Alex let go of Piper's hand and threw her the helmet.

"Here…" she said "…better hold on tight this time."

Piper groaned as she caught the helmet and details of Alex's plan became clear.

She jumped on the motorbike and threw her arms around Alex's waist, holding tight.

"Not that tight, Piper. I can barely breathe here." Alex turned around to face Piper and laughed.

"Oops. Sorry." Piper replied as she reluctantly loosened her grip.

Alex threw down the visor on her helmet and started the vehicle. After a second or two they were picking up speed fast. Piper kept her eyes open this time, she barely saw the faces of the strangers on the street as they zoomed past.

Piper knew this area well - she took an English Literature class down here a couple of summers ago – and she knew where Alex was headed.

As they mounted the freeway, Piper's grip tightened slightly around Alex's waist – she held on to her for dear life. As much as this was Piper's worst nightmare come true, she didn't feel scared. She felt safe when she was with Alex. She felt like no harm could come to her, Alex wouldn't allow it. Instead of worrying about the possibility of flying off of the bike and to her death at any second, she relaxed and leaned in to Alex.

As she watched the flashing lights and New York billboards blur past them as the sped along the road, Piper felt content. She felt like at that exact moment that was right where she was supposed to be.

However, as Alex slowed the bike, left the freeway and Piper saw her apartment come into view, she couldn't help but feel slightly relieved that they'd made it there in one piece.

"How was that?" Alex asked as she helped Piper remove her helmet outside her apartment.

After a bit of a struggle, the helmet and her head parted ways and Piper could finally see Alex's beautiful face.

"Amazing." She smiled.

An amused smile suddenly appeared on Alex's face.

"Wow. Your hair is a bit um… windswept…" she laughed "…here, let me get it."

Alex slowly fixed Pipers blonde locks before resting her hand on her cheek, stroking her thumb back and forth.

"I had fun tonight kid."

"Yeah me too…" Piper replied, captivated by the eyes staring back at her.

"No reason why the fun should end now…" she continued.

"Actually, there's one very good reason why it should end." The brunette replied.

Piper laughed.

"Relax, Al. I was just gonna invite you inside for coffee… and by coffee I do mean actual coffee."

"Oh…" Alex replied as she followed Piper up the stairs and in to the recently cleaned, fresh smelling apartment.

"Wow, nice place." Alex said as she took in the details of her surroundings.

"Thanks, I share it with my roommate Polly. She hasn't been here that often since she started seeing her new guy though so I have the place to myself most of the time."

"Sweet. So am I gonna get the tour at any point tonight or…" Alex smiled.

"Sure." Piper replied grabbing hold of the brunettes hand and guiding her through the rooms in her medium sized apartment.

"And this is my room… sorry about the mess" Piper said as she and Alex stood in the doorway of her neutral coloured bedroom.

"Are you kidding me? It's fucking spotless." Alex let out a chuckle.

"It's been better." Piper replied as she stood in front of Alex, only inches away from her Professor.

Alex's eyes darted around the room a few times, looking at Piper's book collection and the pop up shoe shop that was situated in the far corner, before turning her gaze back on Piper.

"Nice bed." Alex said, a suggestive smirk on her face.

"It's comfortable too."

"I bet. Beds are dangerous though…" Alex replied "…you know what's not dangerous? Coffee."

Piper smiled and headed back to the dark living room, lit only by a few candles on top of the marble fireplace. She was followed closely Alex.

"I hope it's not too hot." Piper said as she handed Alex the large mug of freshly brewed coffee.

"It's not…"Alex said as she wrapped her hands around the large red mug "…but you are."

An immediate smile graced Piper's face and she struggled to wipe it off, the result of which made Alex laugh a lot.

For the next half hour, they sat on the sofa, sipped on their coffee and chatted about life. Piper told Alex about school and how she was stressing about her exams. Alex spoke about NYU and how she couldn't wait to get a proper teaching job. She stressed to Piper that she'd always remain her favourite student, regardless of where or who she was teaching.

Piper placed her head on Alex's shoulder and Alex rested her own head on top of Piper's taking in the scent of her mango shampoo and basking in it. Piper moved her right arm towards Alex and rested it on the brunette's thigh, closing her eyes and enjoying the closeness. However, it wasn't enough.

"This is fucking killing me, Al." Piper said.

It wasn't enough anymore. Piper enjoyed Alex holding her close but it wasn't enough. She wanted to feel more of Alex and it was killing her that they couldn't take it one step further.

"Me too." Alex replied, instantly realising what Piper was referring to.

Piper was glad Alex felt the same way. They both wanted this, so why shouldn't it happen? Who was going to find out?

Piper removed her head from Alex's shoulder and turned to face her professor. She placed both her hands on either side of Alex's cheeks as she looked her straight in the eye. She'd had enough of waiting. It was now or never.

Piper moved her head closer to Alex. Alex did not move, Pipers hands keeping her still. Within seconds they were only centimetres from each other's lips. They were both breathing heavily, Piper could feel Alex's warm breath on her lips. Alex looked in to Piper's eyes before turning her gaze to her lips and immediately back to her eyes. Slowly Piper closed the gap between them and without thinking twice placed her lips on Alex's. She kissed her softly and as short as their kiss was she could taste the sweetness of Alex's lips. Alex was hesitant and Piper could feel her freeze. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't do something that they'd both regret and if anyone found out it could tear them apart. She didn't want to do this if Alex didn't want it so she removed her lips from Alex's and jutted her head back a few inches.

"Shit… Alex, I'm sorry." Piper said as she removed her hands from Alex's face.

Alex stared at her for what felt like a lifetime, in reality it was about 3 seconds. Piper couldn't tell what she was thinking but finally she spoke.

"Don't be…" Alex said as she placed her hand at the back of Piper's neck and pulled her face towards her.

Their lips came crashing together. This time their kiss was much more passionate, their teeth clanking against each other's. Piper was right, Alex's lips tasted amazing and she couldn't get enough of them. Her hands were tangled up in Alex's long dark hair and Alex slowly ran her fingers up and down Piper's spine, sending tingles through the blonde's entire body. Their mouths moved in sync and Alex softly bit Piper's bottom lip. Piper let out a small chuckle which Alex took full advantage of, plunging her tongue into her mouth. Piper moaned with excitement as their tongues met for the first time - Alex smiling in to their kiss at Piper's reaction.

Alex was right, Piper had never been kissed like this before. The passion and arousal she felt was a whole new experience to her.

Piper sat up on the leather sofa and threw her leg over Alex's thigh as she explored the inside of her mouth with her tongue. Their kiss was so deep and filled with passion that Piper couldn't help but feel incredibly disappointed as Alex's lips parted from hers. That disappointment was short lived, however, as Alex's lips quickly found the small of Piper's neck, kissing her just as slowly and passionately. Alex worked her way down to Piper's collarbone before moving back up towards her lips. Just before placing her lips back on the blonde's, Alex stopped just short of Piper's mouth, smiling at her before quickly closing the gap between them once more.

Alex placed her hands around Piper's waist and slowly moved the blonde on to her lap so she was now straddling her. The women shared a cheeky smile as she got in to position. Piper continued to kiss Alex, not wanting their lips to part for a second. Alex's hands moved slowly down Piper's back and rested on her ass.

"Mmmm." Piper moaned in to their kiss as Alex squeezed the blonde's ass with both hands.

Their kiss was even more heated than before and the longer it went on, the more difficult it would become to stop it. Both women felt their arousal build. Alex more so, as Piper placed both of her hands at the bottom of Alex's shirt. She slipped both hands underneath, stroking Alex's bare stomach and moving slowly towards her breasts.

"Fuck… Piper…" Alex breathily moaned in between their kisses before pulling her lips away from the blondes.

"We have to stop… before this goes too far."

"Nope." Piper said pecking at Alex's lips "Can't. Stop."

Alex smiled.

"We have to, Pipe. We'll get in trouble."

Piper knew Alex was right. They didn't have to sleep together tonight. Just the feel of Alex's lips against hers was enough for Piper.

Piper placed her lips against Alex's once more, enjoying tasting the brunette on her mouth.

"Fine." Piper said with a sarcastic frown and petted bottom lip.

Before she could say anything else, Alex had Piper's lip between her teeth.

"Don't give me that fucking look." She chuckled before breaking the embrace.

Piper climbed off of Alex's lap and took position next to her on the sofa. She snuggled in close as Alex's two arms wrapped around Piper, holding her tight. They stayed there in silence, enjoying holding each other, before realising it was almost midnight and time had disappeared in front of their eyes.

"Shit, I better get going." Alex said as she stood from the couch and grabbed her leather jacket.

Piper watched her every move from the sofa as she bent down to pick up the jacket, her perfect ass just inches from Piper's face.

'Control yourself, Chapman.' Piper said to herself as she stood up and walked Alex to the front door.

"I wish you could stay." Piper told Alex as her arm held on to her lower hip.

"Me too, baby." She replied as she opened the front door, leaving both women standing in the doorway.

Piper trailed both her hands down Alex's arms, before Alex caught them with her own and interlinked their fingers.

"Thank you for tonight, I had the best time." Piper managed to say, her teeth chittering in the cold New York air.

Alex held her gaze and smiled.

"I think it should be me who is thanking you." She replied before bringing their lips together one more time. She kissed her gently and slowly, savouring every moment of Piper's lips against her own. Piper replied immediately, holding herself close against Alex. After a few seconds, Alex pulled away and tucked a solitary strand of Piper's hair behind her ear.

"See you Monday, kid." She said as she lowered her lips on to Piper's forehead before releasing her hands and making her way back to her parked motorcycle.

Piper stayed static in the doorway, watching Alex leave. She kept her eyes focused on her as she threw her leg over the motorcycle and sped off down the street disappearing slowly in to the darkness.

Piper shut the door, leaned against it and slowly slid down landing on the wooden floor beneath her. She collapsed with glee and the jelly she felt in her legs all night finally gave way. She was smiling like a crazy person but she couldn't help it. The high she felt in that moment was unlike any other moment she'd experienced in her entire life.

She had longed to feel Alex's lips against her own since the moment she first laid eyes on the brunette and she sure as hell wasn't disappointed.

Piper felt Alex's need for her in her kiss. She could feel how much Alex was in to it and Piper was sure Alex also felt the spark between them when their lips came crashing together.

This was the start of something. Piper could feel it.

She sat on her hallway floor, her back up against the front door and her legs straight out in front of her. She wondered what would happen next. Before they could take it any further, Piper knew there was something she had to take care of first. Once she'd done that, she was Alex's.

She slowly stood up, steadied herself and walked in to the living room. She picked her phone up off the coffee table and sat down on the sofa where Alex was sat earlier. She could still smell her perfume in that space and she took in every scent of the flowery aroma before it disappeared.

She unlocked her phone and typed out a text to Alex, smiling suggestively before she hit send.

There was one more text she had to send. One which she'd been dreading.

Piper: Hey, can you come over?

Alex felt her phone vibrate in the back pocket of her black jeans as she walked through her apartment door. Something inside told her who the message was from and she smiled just thinking about it. She took off her leather jacket and threw it on the hook next to the door before walking straight to her bedroom.

As she reached the bedroom at the end of the hallway, she removed her jeans, her top and her black lace bra. She put them in a pile in the corner of the dark room before climbing straight in to bed.

She grabbed her phone off the bedroom floor and a small smile graced her tired face as her suspicions were confirmed when she saw who the sender was.

Piper: You're a great kisser. Not long until I can kiss you all over. Sweet Dreams, babe.

'Fuck.' Alex thought to herself as she read the message.

All she wanted tonight was to feel Piper's lips all over her.

She thought back on the nights events. She knew there was a good chance she and Piper would end up all over each other – her willpower obviously wasn't as strong as she thought it was. As soon as Piper nervously grazed her lips with her own Alex knew she was in trouble. Piper was an amazing kisser, gentle but passionate and hot when things quickly heated up. Alex struggled to stop herself when things got intimate but she had to – not for her, but for Piper. She couldn't risk Piper's future. However, it was becoming clear that Alex had to be in Piper's future. She could no longer imagine herself without the blonde.

There was more than just a spark there when they kissed, it felt like all the fireworks in the world had exploded at the same time. It was more than chemistry, it was almost like it was meant to be.

A new line had been drawn now, however. One which they couldn't cross. They couldn't be any more intimate than they'd been tonight – not until Alex finished up at Litchfield. But now that they'd already kissed, they may as well kiss again…and again…and again…


	9. A Break Up and A Phone Call

The three loud knocks on the door rang out around the apartment. Piper sat up on the sofa, the tension was building inside of her. This was it, this was the moment she had been dreading but it was now or never and it had to be now. For everyone's sake, it had to be now. She stood up slowly and walked the few steps to the front door before taking a deep breath, unhooking the chain and swinging the door open.

"Hey babe! Aw man, I was so glad to get your text." Larry said as he barged through the door and kissed Piper on the lips. She froze and pulled her head away from his. Thankfully, Larry was too wrapped up in his own joy to be in Piper's company again that he didn't notice her reluctant reaction.

"Mmm…" he said "…I can taste your cherry chap stick."

Piper smiled to herself as she remembered having that exact reaction when she tasted Alex's lips earlier. The cherry Chap Stick obviously transferred to her own lips as their mouths moved rhythmically against each other's.

She couldn't help but smile every time she thought about the evenings events. Unfortunately, this time she wasn't in her own company and Larry had noticed the soft grin appear on her face.

"What do you look so happy about? Is your migraine gone?" Larry smiled as he removed his tan jacket and placed it on the coat stand by the door.

"Um… yeah." Piper replied, unable to shake the feeling of guilt every time she lied to Larry.

"Good… because I brought tequila." Larry beamed as he held the bottle out in front of Piper.

"Great."

Piper took the bottle and made her way into the kitchen, followed all too closely by her boyfriend. She grabbed two shot glasses from the cupboard and poured two drinks. She figured alcohol might set her up for what she was about to do. It couldn't make it any worse, at least.

"Here." She said as she turned and handed the drink to Larry.

"Cheers Pipes." Larry said as he raised his glass in toast.

Piper smiled slightly in reply and downed the shot, the alcohol burning her throat on its journey down.

"Honestly Piper, I was so relieved when I got your text." Larry said as he placed his shot glass on the counter, wrapped his arms around Pipers waist and leaned in to kiss her neck.

"Larry, stop…" Piper said, her hands on her boyfriend's shoulders to stop him getting any closer.

"Come on, Pipes, we both know this is the reason I'm here." He said as he laid a wet kiss on the left side of Piper's neck.

Piper was getting impatient. She squirmed under the touch of Larry. She sighed heavily and tried unsuccessfully to get her boyfriend off of her but eventually, when he didn't budge, she lost her cool.

"Larry, this isn't a fucking booty call." She said as she pushed him back a few inches.

"Then what is it Piper? What the hell is going on?" he looked at her, his confused brown eyes widening as he waited for her answer.

"We can't do this anymore." There. She had said it. It was out there. There was no going back now. Step 1 completed.

"What are you talking about Piper? We can't do what anymore? You've been distant with me for weeks now and I don't know why. Just tell me what is going on, please?" His expression had changed from confusion to one of sadness.

"Larry… I… I can't do this. I can't be with you anymore."

Larry seemed genuinely shocked at Pipers revelation as he gasped dramatically. Although he knew something was up, he clearly didn't think this was the end for them.

"What? Why not?" he said.

His eyes were focused on Pipers and she could see the tears build in them. His eyebrows lowered and his lips were pierced shut.

"I just think our relationship has run its course. My feelings aren't as strong as they used to be and I don't think it's fair to you for me to pretend anymore."

Piper didn't want to lie to Larry anymore. She didn't want to make up some story about her being too focused on school or them being more suited as friends. The truth was that her feelings had changed so she would tell him the truth, at least this once.

"Is that what you've been doing Piper, pretending? How long have you felt like this?"

Larry leaned back against the counter opposite Piper. She could see and feel the anger now take over as his tone changed. She could tell he wanted answers and he deserved them.

"A couple weeks I guess." Piper looked up to meet Larry's gaze.

He removed his eyes from Piper's and sighed deeply. He looked into space, struggling to take in the information that was being given to him.

"Why didn't you say anything before now? Why did you make me feel like I'd done something wrong? Why didn't you just fucking tell me?"

"I'm telling you now. I wanted to make sure my feelings were real."

Larry turned and looked straight at Piper who was now focused on the kitchen tiles underneath her feet, a suspicious look appeared on his face.

"What feelings?" he asked.

Piper remained silent, unsure how to answer Larry's question.

"Something else is going on here Piper."

At this statement, Piper's head shot up and met Larry's eyes.

"What? No… no it's not." She stuttered.

"Piper, I know you. I know when you're hiding something. Just tell me what is going on?"

"Larry…"

Larry's gaze didn't leave Piper's eyes for a second. He stared deeply into them as he interrupted and asked the last question Piper wanted to hear.

"Are you seeing someone else?"

"No… of course not… I… I wouldn't…" her words trailed off as her eyes looked down to the ground once more.

"Piper." Larry's stern and serious voice called out, snapping her gaze back to meet his.

"Larry, please don't do this…" she pleaded with him as she could feel the tears now build in her own eyes "…I don't want to hurt you."

It was true. The last thing Piper wanted to do was hurt Larry. He had been a loyal, genuine and caring boyfriend and he deserved better than what Piper was giving him. She knew telling him about Alex would be devastating and that's the last thing she wanted.

She rarely saw Larry upset. In their entire relationship, she had only seen him cry once before – when his family cat passed away 6 months ago. She hated seeing other people cry, especially when she was the cause of their angst. No matter how hard he tried, Piper could see the glistening of tears in Larry's eyes and as the tension built they became mirrored in her own.

Larry remained expressionless, like he didn't know how to react but he needed confirmation.

"You've been cheating on me, haven't you?" he said, his voice wavering with emotion.

Piper nodded slowly.

"Jesus fucking Christ" Larry said as he turned to face away from Piper.

He leaned his elbows against the kitchen counter and buried his face in his hands. Piper didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. She gave Larry the time he needed.

"Larry, I'm so sorry." She said after the silence continued past the awkward stage.

"Who is it?" A muffled voice said as his head stayed covered in his hands.

"No one you know."

He stood up, wiped his eyes and turned to face Piper once more. His eyes were red and puffy and Piper felt a single tear fall down her cheek as she saw how much she'd hurt Larry.

"Who the fuck is it Piper? Who is it that you feel strongly and passionately enough about to end what we… oh my God… It's her isn't it?"

Piper's head shot up. What did he just say? Surely she misheard. Her heart was now beating out of her chest, and sweat was forming quickly in her palms and on her forehead.

"What are you talking about?" she quickly spat out.

"It all makes so much sense now. I thought the amount of time you've been spending at School was because of the finals coming up but then at my parents last week I knew something wasn't right and it's been playing on my mind ever since. The way you spoke about her, the way your face lit up when you mentioned her name… It's the Professor, isn't it?"

Piper couldn't deny it. Larry was right, he had figured it out and she wouldn't lie to him again.

"I'm sorry Larry, please believe me, I never wanted to hurt you."

Larry's eyes were now filled with tears and Piper could see them quickly fall down his cheeks as he stood opposite her.

"Do you love her?"

This question took Piper by surprised, she didn't expect it and she hadn't thought about it. She replied immediately but struggled once again to find the words to answer.

"What… no… Larry… I… It's…"

"Do you love her?" he repeated, his voice now filled with emotion.

In that moment it all became clear and not only was Piper now being honest with Larry, she was finally being honest with herself.

"Yes." She said and she meant it.

Larry looked down and Piper could hear him sobbing, she didn't know what to do. She walked towards him, about to comfort him as best she could before he quickly stood up and regained his composure.

"I gotta get out of here." He said as he raced into the hallway and grabbed his jacket before turning back to face Piper who was stood in the kitchen doorway.

"Please, Larry, let me explain."

"You've said enough Piper. I hope you and your fucking girlfriend are very happy."

He reached out for the door but Piper had one last thing to say.

"Please don't tell anyone." she said quietly, unsure if the words had actually come out of her mouth. Larry's dramatic exhale in reply settled her doubts.

"If you honestly think that I'd risk your future and how hard you've worked over the past few years just to run to Litchfield to tell them about your affair then you obviously don't know me that well at all Piper. Regardless of your feelings for me, I still love and care about you. If you honestly think I'm capable of that then maybe it is best that we break up after all."

And with that he walked out and slammed the door shut.

Piper collapsed on the sofa, exhausted with the emotions she'd experienced that night. Although telling Larry the truth was probably one of the most difficult things she's ever done, she was glad she had done it. She couldn't lie anymore and she didn't want to.

One good thing that had come out of her evening with Larry was the realisation that she had about herself: she was in love with Alex.

'Shit. What time is it?' Piper thought to herself as she reached out for her phone. 4:15am. She had fallen asleep on the couch after Larry left and had managed to get a an hour or so of shut eye.

That was, of course, until she was rudely awoken by the loud bangs coming from the front door. Piper stood up from the sofa, her legs sticking to the hot leather, and stumbled her way to the door. The apartment was dark, lit only by the streetlights streaming through the windows, and she yelped out in pain as she stubbed her toe on the living room door frame.

"Sorry Pipes, I forgot my keys." Polly said as she made her way through the door while Piper winced in pain and limped back to the sofa.

Thankfully, Polly had been out with Pete all evening and she wasn't home to witness 'the break up.'

"I thought you were staying at Pete's?" Piper asked as Polly followed her to the living room and slumped down on the sofa next to her friend.

"I was… until Larry called me."

"Shit" Piper said as she looked up at her friend's sympathetic gaze. It was no surprise that Larry would've told Polly immediately after he left the apartment – they were great friends and Larry always confided in Polly when it came to his relationship with Piper. She was a hard book to read at times and Larry often needed clarification from her best friend.

Piper often wondered if Larry and Polly had ever been romantically involved. They had such great chemistry and bounced off of one another so well. At the start of their relationship, she was always slightly jealous of this. She and Larry never had that kind of banter.

"He told me you guys broke up. I'm so sorry Pipes." Polly said as she reached out and pulled her friend close, holding her in a warm embrace.

"It's ok, Pol. It had to be done." She replied as Polly still held her close.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Piper didn't answer her friend. Instead, she walked barefoot across the cold wooden floors and towards the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Polly called after her.

"To get the tequila."

Piper returned a few minutes later with the glass bottle of tequila, glasses, lime juice and some Cointreau she found at the back of the kitchen cupboard.

"Makeshift margarita?" she asked as she poured the alcohol and looked at her friend.

"Am I gonna need it?" Polly asked.

"Yes."

Piper poured two large attempted margaritas and lay down on the couch, her legs were laying across Polly's thighs and Polly's hands rested on her ankles.

"I had to do it Pol. I couldn't lie to him anymore and I didn't want him to find out on his own. I hated hurting him, I really fucking did but it was the only option."

Polly looked pretty shocked and she didn't say anything for a couple minutes. Piper was confused by this as Polly knew the breakup was coming. It wasn't exactly out of the blue for her.

"What?..." Piper said when Polly remained silent "…what is that look for?"

Polly snapped out of her daydream and turned to face her friend.

"I guess I just… I thought maybe… I thought this was just a phase… with Vause."

"Polly, of all the things in my life I know to be true, I am beyond sure that this is not a phase."

Piper had struggled with her sexuality throughout her entire life. From a very young age, she knew she was attracted to both genders. She remembered her first year in high school, she must've only been around 14, when she became infatuated with her music teacher. She would think about Miss Robertson all the time, 24/7 and it terrified her. She was sure there was something wrong with her and she felt dirty, ashamed and embarrassed.

As she grew older, the feelings remained and she continued to ignore them. She dated guys and done all she could to look like the perfect girly-girl. She spent hours fixing her hair in the morning, wore lots of pink and short skirts. She even worked on her mannerisms to seem more feminine. She done everything she could possibly think of to revoke any suspicion.

The turning point for her came when she was 18, when her friend Kelly drunk kissed her in the bathroom of a nightclub. She hesitated at first but she didn't stop her, she kissed her back and she liked it. It was in that moment that she realised she couldn't deny these feelings any longer, they'd continue to build within her and eventually swallow her whole if she didn't acknowledge them. So she took the first step to acceptance, she admitted it to herself. She was bisexual.

She kept this to herself and for the next few years attempted to get her head around her sexuality and tried to be ok with it. She always felt a much more emotional connection with women. With men, she could appreciate their attractiveness and yes, she could be in a relationship with a man. But, when it came to women, the emotion she felt was much stronger. The closeness was incomparable. Granted, she'd never done anything with a woman, apart from a drunken kiss in a toilet cubicle but she longed to feel this closeness and intimacy.

These feelings only grew stronger as the years went on. She tried to meet women but any time there was even any harmless flirting, her nerves would take over and she would back off. She found herself in Larry's arms, more so out of convenience than anything else.

Each night she'd go to bed, wishing it was a woman holding her close. When she thought about her future, she never saw herself with a man. The perfect family life, the husband, the kids and the big house wasn't what she dreamed of. Her parents dreamed that for her, but her heart simply wasn't in it.

She waited, hoping a woman would walk into her life and sweep her off her feet, but it didn't happen. Instead, the years went on and she was still with Larry, still living with this secret. She always told herself that she would tell her parents who she really was someday but only if she met a woman who she could see a future with. Until then, she'd keep it sacred. Even the thought of telling her parents was enough to send a wave of panic throughout her body. The thought of ripping herself open and sharing the most vulnerable parts of herself with the world didn't seem like something she'd be able to do easily.

Then Alex walked into her life and everything changed. She was perfect, she was the exact type of woman Piper dreamed of. Everything Piper had hoped for, she felt with Alex. The closeness, the attractiveness, everything was there - everything she'd missed out on in the past. Everything that she ever felt was missing in her life came in the form of Alex Vause and now that she had it, she'd die before she'd let it go. Suddenly she realised, the years of struggle and hiding were all leading up to this moment. This was the moment that she prayed for, the moment that she dreamed of. Now it was her reality.

"So is it serious then?" Polly asked.

"Yeah, Pol. I think it is." Piper smiled.

"How serious?" Polly asked, a slightly overwhelmed look on her face.

"I'm in love with her."

"Wow."

Piper had never experienced this before. The thought had run through her head a couple times before but she dismissed it. She couldn't be in love after such a short time. Could she?

She always questioned herself when she was with Larry. Was she in love with him? Is this what love felt like? She always assumed it was. When Larry asked her tonight 'Do you love her?' it suddenly became so clear. There was only one answer and there were no questions surrounding it; she was very much in love with Alex.

Polly looked at her open mouthed for a moment before lunging towards her and throwing her arms around her friend for the second time that evening. Her voice was muffled as she snuggled in to Piper's shoulder, but Piper could just about make it out.

"I'm so proud of you Piper. This is such a big step to take in your life and seeing you so happy makes me happy. You'll always have my support."

"Thanks Pol" Piper said as her friend held her close.

Piper knew this moment would come, the moment where she'd have to let Polly in on her secret. She was unsure how she'd react but knowing that she had her friends support and love brought endless smiles to her face.

The two friends finished their margaritas and after a couple more tequila shots, crashed out next to each other on the sofa.

It hadn't been an easy weekend, and for once, Piper was glad to hear her Monday morning alarm ring out at 6am.

Larry had come by the apartment to collect his things on Saturday. What Piper thought would be a flying visit actually turned in to a draining 3-hour chat. Apparently, Piper's reasoning wasn't good enough the night before, and Larry needed more answers so Piper gave him them.

She spilled her heart out and before she knew it the tears were flowing, and they weren't just Larry's. Piper told him everything. She told him about her sexuality and how she supressed it and kept it a secret throughout her entire life. She explained that now was the first time she could truly be her authentic self and she couldn't give up on that.

Larry didn't seem convinced but he said he accepted it. Before leaving, with a couple bags of his clothes in hand, he wished Piper luck for the future – luck for her exams, with her internship after school and luck with her future relationships. Piper thanked him and this time, she genuinely meant it. She might not exactly have Larry's blessing but he didn't seem to hate her so she took that as a positive.

The rest of the weekend was spent texting Alex. They must've exchanged hundreds of messages over the two days. They chatted about their life, their future and about how good a kisser the other was. Even now, on Monday morning, Piper was still struggling to come down from the high of the Friday evening.

Alex had volunteered to give Piper a lift to school – this time in her car not the motorcycle, much to Piper's relief. Alex said she was at an early meeting downtown and would be passing Piper's building anyway. Piper wasn't sure if she believed this. She hoped it was just an excuse Alex used to see her again.

Alex wouldn't be at her apartment for another 3 hours yet Piper still didn't feel this was enough time to get ready. Although she was ecstatic that it was finally Monday morning, she still struggled to get out of bed and groan her way to the shower.

She stood in front of her wardrobe for at least 30 minutes deciding on what to wear. She'd lost count of the number of items that she tried on, hated, and threw to the floor in disgust. Eventually, she decided on white skinny jeans and a navy and white striped tee. This was the white jeans' first outing of the year but it was hot out and Piper looked good in them so why not?!

She took a look at her watch. 8:45am. Where did the time go? She knew 3 hours wouldn't be enough. Alex would be here in 15 minutes and she still hadn't eaten breakfast. She dashed in to the kitchen and threw a slice of bread in the toaster and water in the kettle. She inhaled the toast and took a large gulp of the coffee she'd made.

"JESUS FUCK!" she exclaimed as she spat the coffee with the day old milk out in to the sink.

'Please don't let this be a bad start to an even worse day.' She pleaded to herself.

One quick brush of the teeth later and a car horn was beeping from outside. Piper quickly looked out her window to see a black Mercedes parked outside her front door. She couldn't see who was in it but she was sure it was Alex. I mean, the car was black and Piper had yet to see Alex own anything of any other colour.

She closed the door behind her, walked down the front steps and made her way to the passenger's side of the car. She quickly looked through the window just to make sure she was about to enter the correct car – she'd made that mistake too many times previously. She was relieved she wouldn't be making it again today when she saw Alex's face smiling at her through the slightly tinted glass.

She opened the door and sat down on the cool leather seat. The car was incredibly swish. It was all black leather, spotlessly clean and it smelled exactly like Alex. Piper remembered being surrounded by that flowery fresh smell on Friday evening and just the thought of it made her involuntary close her eyes and smile. After a few seconds, she heard Alex chuckle and realised she was engrossed in her own day dream. She opened her eyes and met Alex's smiling gaze. They both sat there in silence for a few seconds. Piper was unsure how to greet Alex. Do they just say hi? Do they kiss? Were they there yet? Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long for her answer.

"Get over here." Alex said as she opened her arms for Piper.

Piper moved slowly closer but Alex quickly closed the gap between them and lovingly placed her lips on the blondes. The kiss was soft and sweet. Alex's hands cupped both of Piper's cheeks while Piper's rested around Alex's waist.

As she pulled away, Alex looked in to Piper's eyes before pulling her into a warm embrace.

"This has probably been the longest two days of my life, kid." Alex said with a mouth full of Piper's hair as she continued to hold her close.

Piper broke the embrace and raised her hand to Alex's cheek.

"Mine too." She replied.

Alex was forced to quickly drive off as they spotted some of the Litchfield mean girls make their way along the street – blended juice and captain of the football team boyfriends in tow. The last thing they needed was to be caught out by Prom Queen 2015.

They drove the short journey to Litchfield, Piper attempting but failing to keep her focus anywhere but on Alex's face. Alex looked incredibly hot today. She had dressed up for her meeting and she looked damn good. Even at work, Alex was smart-casual. Today she was wearing a fitted black ladies suit and a white shirt. The androgynous look really fucking worked on her.

Piper hated being so close to Alex but not being able to touch her. She reached her left hand over and laid it on Alex's thigh, squeezing it lightly as she did. Alex smiled and placed her free hand on top of Piper's, interlinking their fingers before pulling Piper's hand up to her lips and placing a light kiss on her skin.

Still, this wasn't enough for Piper and as Alex took the shortcut down the back lane beside O'Malley's, Piper thought of a cunning plan.

"Hey Alex, can you pull over, I don't feel well." Piper said as she dramatically threw her hand over her mouth.

Alex turned to Piper with a concerned look on her face.

"Oh shit, baby, are you ok?" Alex said, her voice laced with worry.

"I accidently drank some bad milk this morning. Please just pull over."

Alex done as Piper said and pulled her car into the quiet lane behind the closed bar. She unbuckled her own and Piper's belt before turning to face the blonde.

"Are you gonna be sick? Do you want me to get you some water?"

Piper removed her hand from her mouth and smiled at the Professor.

"I'm not really sick, Al." she said with a sarcastic open mouthed look of shock on her face.

Alex's faced just screamed confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Wanna make out?" A suggestive smile now appearing on the blonde's face.

Suddenly, the penny dropped and Alex realised the whole thing was a set up.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Piper?! I was really worried for a second."

"Let me make it up to you." Piper said as she placed her hand on Alex's knee and slowly made her way up the outer side of her thigh.

Alex looked at Piper sternly, no expression on her face. Piper thought she might have actually been angry but thankfully a full smile appeared on her face and any doubt Piper had quickly vanished.

Piper took this as her que and went in for the kill.

She threw her arms around Alex's neck and pulled her close. Within seconds, their lips were together again. What started off as a tender kiss soon turned much more passionate and their lips were moving together in sync causing Piper to moan a little too loud. Alex smiled into their kiss in return. Alex's hand rested very high up on Piper's thigh. Piper knew it was there, she could feel it and the thought sent the sweetest pain between her legs.

She wanted to taste all of Alex and she ran her tongue along Alex's bottom lip, begging for entry. Alex smiled and hummed "nuh uh" rejecting Piper's tongue and getting her back from her earlier sick stunt.

Thankfully, Piper was on the ball today and another idea sprung to mind. They were both sitting on their hip facing each other. Piper removed her right hand from Alex's neck and moved it down her back before resting it on her ass. She squeezed the Professors ass cheek slightly before suddenly giving it a quick, hard spank. This took Alex by surprise and she let out a loud squeal. Piper used this to her advantage and plunged her tongue deep in to Alex's mouth.

"Mmm hmm" she said while Alex accepted defeat and their tongues met for the first time.

They made out for several minutes. Their tongues exploring the others mouth. Their hands moved from hair to cheek to neck to waist to thighs to ass. After a few more minutes, Alex broke off the kiss and sat back in her seat. She turned to Piper and mouthed 'come here' while signalling with her index finger. Piper knew what Alex wanted, and she was more than happy to give her it.

She avoided the controls and gear stick as much as she could while making her way over to the driver's side of the vehicle. She threw one leg over the Professors thigh so she was now straddling her, their mouths only centimetres apart. Alex wasted no time and quickly pulled Piper towards her while their tongues met once more. Piper held herself close to Alex. Their breasts were pressed against each other and even the thought of Alex being so close accelerated Piper's arousal. Alex's hands made their way down Piper's spine before slipping under her striped top and resting on her lower back. The skin to skin contact sent shivers throughout Piper's entire body. This was only accentuated when Alex slipped both her hands down Piper's waistband and gently rested them on her bare ass.

Alex squeezed Piper's ass gently before moving position so Piper's centre was placed directly on Alex's thigh. Alex began to slowly move Piper back and forth on her thigh, smiling as the blonde's breathing increased signalling to her that she was doing a pretty good job.

The grinding was too much and Piper knew she was so close to losing control.

"Fuck… Alex…" Piper called out in between their kisses.

Alex could feel Piper's arousal even more than her own and there was nothing she wanted more than to help Piper take care of it.

"Let it go, baby. I've got you." Alex said as she continued to help Piper's quick, hard grinding on her thigh.

Piper was so close, she could feel it build up inside of her and the sound of Alex's deep, sexy voice only increased her excitement. Just as she thought she was about to let it all go, the sound of Alex's phone rang out around the car.

"They can wait." Alex said as she bit Piper's lower lip.

Piper saw the caller id on Alex's phone as it lit up the car and she knew Alex couldn't ignore it.

"Al, it's Professor Hastings."

"Shit." Alex said as she realised she was almost an hour late for their meeting. She grabbed the phone and quickly put it to her ear.

"Hi Professor." She said as Piper stayed on top of her and moved her lips to Alex's neck.

"That's ok, sir. I'm stuck in traffic too." Alex said as she shot a relieved smile in Piper's direction. Piper was too busy to notice.

She laced Alex's neck with kisses, smiling as she could hear the sound of Alex trying to silence the small moans that were escaping her mouth. This became impossible, however, when Pipers kisses grew more intense and her teeth got involved.

"Fuck…" Alex breathily whispered before clearing her throat suddenly.

"No Professor Hastings, it was just a… cyclist. That's great, I'll see you then." Alex shut her phone off and threw it on the passenger seat.

"Saved by the bell?" Piper asked.

"Not quite…" Alex replied, pulling Piper into another tight embrace "…but we'll have to pick this up again later, we're both 90 minutes late."

"Shit." Piper exclaimed as she realised time had run away from them.

They drove the rest of the way to Litchfield in silence. Miguel playing from the speakers and Piper's hand resting on Alex's thigh the entire time. Alex parked a block away from the main campus to let Piper out, they couldn't risk being seen driving in together.

"That was probably the best start to the week I've ever had." Piper said as she turned to face Alex once more.

"Me too, kid. Come by my office later. Don't have me missing those lips again."

"I won't" Piper smiled.

Alex moved Piper's chin towards her with her index finger and placed a soft kiss on the blonde's lips. Piper smiled into the kiss before pulling away and stepping out of the car, struggling to wipe the grin – or Alex's red lipstick – off of her mouth.

The days after their epic make out session in Alex's car went by in a flash. Every morning, Alex would pull up outside Piper's apartment. They'd drive the few blocks to the lane behind O'Malley's, spend the next half hour making out before eventually making their way to school. Piper cherished these moments and waited expectedly for them to arrive every morning.

That was, of course, until today. Today was Friday and unfortunately she had plans that didn't involve Alex. Piper's parents had arranged a family vacation and she didn't have much choice other than to participate. Of course, these plans were made long before Alex walked in to her life. She was happy to leave Larry behind for a weekend, but leaving Alex felt like a huge mountain to climb. Sadly, she couldn't back out and as she stood throwing clothes into her case, she thought about all the things she'd rather be doing – all of them involved Alex.

Alex had told her that she'd miss her while she was gone. They promised to text every day and that'd be enough for Piper – it had to be. But, as she made her way on to the plane and rested her head against the window, she felt tears start to build in her eyes.

'Jesus, Piper, pull your shit together. You'll see her in three days'. She told herself as she plugged in her iPod and closed her eyes.

The flight from Newark to LAX was around 5 hours so she had a lot of time to kill. Thankfully, her family flew out the day before so she used this time to mentally prepare herself for the weekend ahead. Piper's mom had heard about her breakup with Larry through Polly and her huge mouth so she'd have to attempt to explain that one. Of course, she wouldn't tell her about Alex – she wasn't insane after all.

Piper still hadn't told Alex that she loved her. She figured it was way too soon plus she couldn't take the heartbreak she'd feel if Alex didn't feel the same way. If they ever did use the L word, she'd probably wait for Alex to say it first. At least then she'd know her feelings were reciprocated. She didn't think she'd ever be able to put her heart out there with the risk of it being torn apart.

"Maam…" Piper felt a soft nudge on her shoulder "…Maam, we're just about to start our descent into Los Angeles. I need you to put your seatbelt back on."

"Oh shit." Piper replied as she opened her eyes to see the young flight attendant stood over her. She sat up straight in the seat, rubbed her eyes and buckled her belt before the flight attendant gave her a satisfied glance and made her way down the plane.

So she wouldn't be prepared to face her parents after all. Her thinking time had been taken up by an extended nap. She guessed all that making out in the back seat of Alex's car had really worn her out – Piper would happily take that side effect every day of the week.

After 20 minutes of waiting, Piper eventually spotted her bag at baggage claim. She pushed through the crowd, apologetically sighed, grabbed her bag and headed for the exit.

As the automatic doors of the arrivals lounge opened, Piper immediately spotted Cal holding an A4 sheet of white paper with PIPER CHAPMAN written on it in a black sharpie. Piper chuckled to herself as the idiocy of Cal's sense of humour came flooding back to her.

"CAL" she shouted as she held her free arm out and headed straight in her brother's direction.

He put his hand up to stop her before taking a step back.

"Um… are you Piper Chapman?"

"Shut up you ass."

They both laughed before Cal threw his arms around his sister.

"Good to see you, Pipes." He said as he held her embrace before taking her case and heading towards the car park.

Piper didn't see her brother nearly enough as she would like, so if there was one thing these family vacations were good for, it was her catch up time with Cal.

"Before you ask, this is Dad's car." Cal said as they both stepped into the black jeep parked outside the terminal.

"Wow, he actually let you borrow it."

"Yeah but only when I pointed out that he'd had one too many glasses of champagne to drive himself."

"Nice move bro." Piper said as she pulled her phone from the pocket of her grey hoodie and typed out a quick text.

Piper: Finally landed. Just on the way to the rented villa. Text you later xoxo

Her phone vibrated with a reply in less than 30 seconds.

Alex: Glad to hear it babe. Have fun.

A small smile appeared on Piper's face as she began to slip in to a romantic daydream. She was quickly snapped out of it, however, with the sound of Cal's voice and a familiar name grabbing her attention.

"So, Mom told me about Bloom."

"Ah, I thought she might have."

Larry and Cal never really got on. Larry didn't understand Cal's desire to be alone and withdraw from the outside world. Cal never understood Larry's obsession with beer and baseball. Sure, they spent time together when they had to but they were always happy when they parted ways.

"Look, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to but he was never good enough for you Piper. His priorities were all wrong. Sports, alcohol and gambling always came before you… I saw through it every time I saw you guys together. You deserve someone who always puts you first."

Cal was right, Piper always seemed to be second best with Larry when something better was around. I guess they both had their faults in the relationship after all.

"Thanks, Cal." Piper said, her voice full of emotion.

An exchange of smiles later and they were on the road. The closer they travelled to Piper's parents, the more the dread built up inside of her. She loved her parents more than anything on the planet but a weekend with them, 24/7, with Piper being drowned by questions was her idea of hell.

Thankfully, the next half hour was filled with Piper laughing out loud as Cal told her the many stories of the experiences he and his girlfriend had shared in the wilderness. Piper used to wish she could be more like Cal. She wished she could drop everything and be on her own away from everyone. Her feelings had changed recently however. She didn't want to run away from anything anymore. Right now, she wanted to run back to something – to someone.

Her laughter slowly drowned out, however, as they pulled up to the large beach villa. It was a beautiful house. Piper was never a fan of LA but she couldn't deny its beauty. The 5-bedroom house was situated on a hill looking down on the golden sand and the water from the swimming pool out back glistened in the sun.

"Piper you're here!" her Mom called out as she ran up to her and threw her arms around her daughters' neck.

"Hey, Mom."

"Afternoon, Piper. How was your flight?" she heard the voice call out as her Mom released her.

"Yeah great, thanks Dad."

"Lunch is set up out back. Your Aunt Mary and Uncle John's flight gets in from Chicago later today. Cal, grab Piper's bags." Piper's mom said as she led the way to the set table in the back garden.

Piper had barely sat down before the subject of Larry was brought up.

"So, how has my newly single daughter been?" A judgemental look appeared on Mrs Chapman's face.

"I've been great, thanks Mom." She replied, ignoring her mother's bait.

"Honestly, Piper, I don't know why you let a good man like that go. He was…"

Piper interrupted, she had to nip this in the bud. Larry wasn't who she wanted to be thinking about this weekend.

"I let him go because I didn't love him. That's the reason why we're not together any more. Ok? Now can we drop it please?"

Mrs Chapman nodded her head in acceptance, knowing Piper wasn't in the mood to discuss her ex, before turning her attention to the croissant on her plate.

It was early evening on Saturday and Alex was slumped in front of her couch watching Wheel of Fortune. She lay there for a full hour before realising how pathetic it was and decided to do something about it. She called Nicky and arranged to hang out with her for a drink. So far her weekend had been filled with doing mindless, ridiculous tasks all in an effort to keep Piper – and how much she missed her – off of her mind.

Thankfully, Nicky was more than happy to agree. She rarely turned down a drink and tonight wasn't going to be the exception.

Alex rocked up at Nicky's place an hour later, vodka in hand and black beanie on her head. She could hear the voices at the other side of the door, Lorna's accent being unmistakeable.

"Vause, get in here." Nicky exclaimed as she opened the door and quickly took the bottle from Alex's hands.

As the evening went on and the drinks continued to flow, Nicky's curiosity got the best of her.

"So, Vause, have you sealed the deal with blondie yet?" she asked.

Alex was pretty tipsy but she could still think clearly and she knew divulging any of that information would probably come back to bite her on the ass. She loved her friend, but she had a mouth as big as the Channel Tunnel.

"I don't think that's any of your business Nichols." She smiled in reply.

"She's right…" Lorna interrupted as she said goodbye to the rest of the guests and threw herself on to Nicky's lap "…that's none of your business. Now let's go to bed."

"Got my orders, Vause, sorry…" Nicky said as she took Lorna's hand and made her way up the stairs of her apartment.

"Oh, by the way, feel free to sleep on the couch tonight… you can repay me by making me breakfast in the morning." She winked and quickly made her way to the bedroom.

She'd probably take Nicky up on her offer. It was already 1am and she knew she'd wait hours for a taxi at this time on a Sunday morning. And, as much as she loved New York she wasn't sure walking the quiet streets that separated hers and Nicky's apartment was a very wise idea. She regretted her decision, however, as soon as she got into her makeshift bed on the couch.

"Fuck… Nicky… Ahh… Fuck… I'm coming… Baby I'm…"

"Jesus fucking Christ." Alex said to herself as she covered her ears with the pillow, praying the sounds would stop. After a very long few minutes the only noise she could hear was from Nicky's over the top snoring as Alex's prayers were answered.

She laid back on the couch and focused on the ceiling. Although she'd had a great night, Piper was still the main thought in her head. She thought about what they'd be doing if she was here right now. She couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face when she thought of the possibilities.

She let out a loud groan as the vibration of her phone forced her out of her own head. A mixture of emotions took over her as she saw the caller id.

"Piper? Is that you?" Alex asked as she threw her phone to her ear.

Alex and Piper rarely spoke on the phone choosing instead to text each other 24/7. When she called, Alex worried that something might be wrong. I mean, why else would she be calling her at 1am?

"Hey, baby." The voice at the other end of the line instantly sent a wave of relief through Alex's body.

"Pipes, I thought something was wrong. You never call me."

"I just wanted to hear your voice… I miss you." This brought a smile to Alex's face. She knew Piper wouldn't forget about her on her trip but she couldn't deny how glad she was to hear that Piper was still thinking about her.

"I miss you too… so much."

Piper hummed in satisfaction on the other end of the line.

"So how is LA? Enjoying the sun?"

"Yeah, it's nice. The family are out at a show tonight. I told them I had a headache and sneaked back to the villa. I wanted some alone time to hear your voice."

"Ohh… naughty" Alex replied.

"I wish you were here, Al. This bed is way too big for just me."

This instantly sent a shiver through Alex's entire body, she'd do anything to be in bed with Piper right now.

"Fuck, Pipes. You've no idea how much I'd love that."

The line went silent for a few moments. Alex thought Piper might have got cut off but was glad to quickly hear her voice again.

"Al?"

"Yeah?"

"Have phone sex with me."

That wasn't a question. Piper wasn't asking Alex to have phone sex with her, she was demanding it and that thought alone got Alex pretty worked up. She knew they probably shouldn't engage in it, but there was a lot of things they'd done already which they shouldn't have engaged in so what harm would adding phone sex to the list do?

"And what happens if I say no?" Alex replied, a suggestive smirk appearing on her face.

"You won't."

She was right. Alex couldn't turn this down.

"Yeah you're right. God, I wish I was there with you Piper, I don't think I'd be able to keep my hands to myself."

"I wouldn't want you to. It gets me so hot thinking about what you could be doing to me with your hands."

"Me too baby. I wish I could be there right now, kissing your mouth, my tongue deep inside…"

"Mmm. Fuck Alex, I'm so horny."

Just hearing Piper say those words build up the arousal in Alex's body and she felt her wetness begin to increase.

"Then I'd take your top off and my hands would be all over your breasts. I'd remove your bra and play with your nipples as I laced your neck with kisses."

Alex sat up on the couch and removed her tank top and bra. She quickly threw it to the floor as her free hand massaged her breasts and pinched her nipple, sending waves of pleasure throughout her body. Her breasts were always one of her most sensitive areas and even the slightest touch was almost enough to send her over the edge.

"Fuck…" Piper said breathlessly.

Alex could tell Piper was turned on. She could hear it in her voice.

"I want you to take your hand and put it inside your panties. Tell me what you feel."

"I'm so wet, Alex."

"Me too baby, I'd love to taste it myself."

Alex put Piper on speakerphone and sat it down beside her. She slipped her hand into her black boy shorts and her fingers were quickly covered in her own wetness. She rubbed gently on her clit while her other hand massaged her breasts. Her breathing intensified and she knew it wouldn't be long until she reached her climax.

"I wish I could take your nipples into my mouth, sucking gently before moving further south…"

"Fuck… Piper… I'm on top of you kissing my way down your stomach. My head is now between your legs and my tongue licks slowly from your wet opening all the way to your swollen clit."

"I want you… Inside me…" Piper said breathlessly.

"I slip two of my fingers inside of you while my tongue draws intense circles around your clit."

"Mmm… I wish I could have my tongue inside of you, your wetness covering it completely."

This took Alex by surprise, she never thought Piper would be so forward but she was excited to be seeing – or rather hearing – this side of her.

Her orgasm was only moments away as two of her fingers slipped easily into her wet opening.

"I want you so badly, Piper."

"Fuck, Alex, I'm gonna cum." Piper's voice was deep and breathy, Alex could almost feel her arousal through the phone.

"Wait for me baby." Alex said as her fingers curled upwards inside of her and her thumb quickly found her clit.

It didn't take long before she was on the edge of cumming.

"Fuck… Piper…"

"I'm cumming baby… fuck… ahh…"

Alex's thumb worked hard on her clit and within seconds she was contracting around her own fingers. She could hear Piper breathing heavily on the other side of the phone as they both stayed on the line in silence, slowly coming down from their high.

After a few minutes, Piper finally broke the silence.

"That was amazing, Al."

Alex agreed although she still couldn't help but wish Piper's hands had done the work for her.


	10. Success

Piper: So, last night was fun…

Alex: It really was. I can't help but wish we were together though.

Piper: I know, I miss you like crazy… tomorrow can't come quick enough.

Alex: I can't wait to hug you and kiss you again. What we done last night though… It can't happen again. Not until next week anyway. I still have another week teaching here and you still have another week of being my student…

Piper: This will be the longest week of my life…

Alex: I promise I'll make it worth the wait ;)

Piper smiled as she placed her phone under her sun lounger and sipped on her margarita. It was still too early to be drinking but even though it wasn't socially acceptable she felt like she needed it after last night.

Piper wasn't planning on having some super-hot late night phone play with Alex but as soon as she heard her deep, sultry voice on the other end of the line, her emotions took over. She was never confident with the whole dirty talk thing but last night she felt at ease, she felt like she could say whatever she was feeling – and she did. Alex was damn good at it, but she made Piper feel comfortable too.

The sun was scorching in the sky and beating down on her face as she tanned by the pool in her black bikini. The ice cold drink in her hand was the only thing giving her a slight escape from the suffocating heat. As it turned out, the weekend hadn't been as bad as she thought it'd be. Her mother never brought up Larry's name again. Piper hoped she'd got the message when she was cut off the other day but she feared there'd be another attempted mother-daughter heart to heart before her flight that evening.

She spent most of the weekend with Cal and his equally crazy girlfriend Neri. They provided some light relief and entertainment away from her parents old people chat. She couldn't help but wish she could share this experience with someone. She wanted to let someone else in on the craziness of her family. She wanted to walk hand in hand on the beach with someone whilst spending time with her family – just like Cal and Neri did all weekend. She wanted Alex with her. Unfortunately, she struggled to visualise a time in the near future where Alex would be accepted by her parents. She didn't care though, as long as Alex was a part of her life, everyone else's opinion and comfort was second best.

Just as she was about to close her eyes and nod off to a relaxed nap in the sun, Piper heard her mother approach from behind.

"Isn't it a little early to be drinking Piper?" Mrs Chapman asked as she lay down on the lounger next to Piper, sunglasses covering half of her face.

"I'm nervous about my flight." That was a lie. Piper wasn't a nervous flyer, she never had been. She felt this was a more appropriate answer, however. Telling her Mom she was drinking early because it seemed necessary after the intense orgasm her Professor/lesbian lover gave her last night wasn't really a conversation she wanted to be having right now.

"Aren't finals this week?"

"Yes…" Piper replied.

"Then shouldn't you be studying?"

"Mom, if you thought I should be studying then why did you invite me on this vacation?"

"I'm worried about you, Piper." The sunglasses covered her Mom's eyes but she could hear the worry in her voice. It confused her though because Piper was probably the happiest she'd ever been. There was nothing to worry about.

"Why?"

"You're drinking in the morning, you left Larry, you…"

"Jesus, Mom…" Piper interrupted "…It's one drink and I told you about Larry the other day."

"I just don't understand it Piper, I thought you were happy."

"I wasn't happy. I didn't love Larry. I wasn't in the relationship for the right reasons, it was just easy and I enjoyed having someone to support me, someone to rely on. It wasn't fair on anyone and I'm sorry I wasted his time. That's why I ended it…I'm in love with someone else."

Piper didn't intend to add that last bit on but it felt right and she hated keeping things from her Mom. She could never keep secrets to herself for long anyway, her Mother always had a way to find out the truth.

Mrs Chapman swung her legs to the right and off of the sun lounger so she was now facing Piper. She pulled the sunglasses off her face to meet Piper's gaze.

"With who?" she asked sternly, no expression on her face.

The tone of her voice made Piper feel like she was in trouble and it took her a couple of seconds to remember that she'd done nothing wrong apart from being human and allowing nature to take its course.

"I'm not ready to tell you that yet."

Her Mom sighed and nodded her head slightly. Piper expected a different reaction – two or three more attempts to find out who the mystery 'man' was at least. Instead, her Mom saw her resistance and didn't push it, she'd wait for Piper to go to her. She slowly stood from the lounger and was now looking down at Piper. She rested her hand on her shoulder.

"As long as he treats you right Piper." She said with a genuine smile before walking back to the house.

"She does." Piper whispered under her breath when her Mom was out of earshot.

"Thanks for a great weekend, Dad. It was really great catching up with everyone again." Piper said as her Dad dropped her off at LAX terminal.

"You're welcome, Piper. Let us know how your finals go."

"I will." She said as she leaned over and gave her Dad a kiss on the cheek.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief as she stepped out of the vehicle and on to the cool gravel outside the airport. She had made it through the weekend. She loved spending time with her family but only in small doses. Now, she was going home and she couldn't be happier about it.

She looked down at her phone when it vibrated in her hand and her smile only grew wider.

Alex: Safe flight, baby. I can't wait to see you tomorrow.

Her flight wasn't until 8pm so she wouldn't be back in New York until pretty late. She told Alex she wouldn't be in her class in the morning as she'd be pretty jet-lagged after the flight. Instead, she arranged to meet her in her office around lunchtime. Piper had a small welcome home surprise for Alex, however.

She usually hated the flight home. The vacation was over and she was heading back to her normal boring life. Tonight was different. As Piper looked out the window to the dark skies covered in bright stars, she smiled as she realised there was nowhere on the planet that she'd rather be travelling to. She was going home.

"Monday again… sucks, right?!" The young Starbucks attendant asked as he served Alex her tall skinny latte.

"It's not all bad." She smiled and grabbed her drink.

It was a beautiful Monday morning, the sun was shining brightly in the sky and the air was crisp and cool.

Alex decided she'd walk to Litchfield today. Black ray bans on her face, leather jacket on her back and coffee in her hand, she made her way down the busy Manhattan sidewalk. She received a text from Piper that morning to say she'd landed safely. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when she took the words in. She knew the possibility of something going wrong was almost non-existent, yet still the doubt was always there and she just wanted Piper home. She wouldn't be seeing her until lunchtime as she was too tired to make it to their 10am class, this did cause Alex to feel slightly disappointed but she tried not to dwell on it too much.

Her mind had been so taken up with thoughts of Piper recently that she almost forgot that this was her last week teaching at Litchfield. She'd enjoyed her time there, some times more than others and she was incredibly glad that she'd taken the opportunity when she was offered it. If she'd turned it down, she wouldn't have met a certain blonde and her life would be considerably less exciting than it was turning out to be.

The walk to Litchfield had been somewhat longer than she estimated it would be and it was already 10am as she was making her way through the gates. She knew if she was any more than 10 minutes late, the students would leave and that wouldn't be particularly productive given that their finals were tomorrow.

She rushed in to the classroom which was already filled with her students and power walked to her desk.

"All right, guys, sorry I'm late. Open your text books to page…"

She was stood behind her desk removing her leather jacket as she looked at the students sat in front of her. One face stood out more than any other. It was like her face was full of colour while the rest were black and white. Smiling from ear to ear back at her was Piper. Alex held her gaze, it was like they were stuck in a parallel universe where only the two of them existed, and everything else was background.

"Umm… Professor… What page should we turn to?" A voice from the second row called out as Alex realised she'd held Piper's gaze for a few seconds too long.

She cleared her throat and eventually snapped her eyes away from the blondes, not before a caring smile graced her face.

"69."

Alex threw her leather jacket over her chair as she glanced back at Piper. The blonde's smile hadn't disappeared and her eyes stayed fixed on Alex as she opened her textbook, her eyebrows raised suggestively as Alex called out the page number.

Alex had a lesson planned for today's class and no matter how distracting Piper was, she had to stick to it.

"Ok. So today we're going to talk about the correlation between Marketing techniques and human emotion. Someone shout out an emotion…"

"Love."

Alex's head shot up and she tried to suppress a small smile as Piper immediately volunteered an answer.

"Thanks Piper. Love is a good one. Love makes people do crazy things. It makes you feel like you're floating in a bubble that you never want burst. Like everything around you, the darkness, the upset and the worries become non-existent. Love becomes the sole focus of your life."

She glanced at Piper and her eyes began to moisten. Although she was teaching to the whole class, the words she was saying were personal and Piper was the only one she wanted to hear them.

"What does that have to do with marketing?" The deep voice of the scruffy haired man in the back row called out.

"When you love a product, you'll go out of your way to have it. Similarly, when you're in love with someone, even the world's biggest obstacles won't stop you being together."

Alex looked out in to the room. Her students were making vigorous notes on their pads – it would seem she knew what she was talking about after all. Piper's eyes stayed glued on the Professors, however. Alex took this manufactured moment of privacy and held her gaze while the other students were distracted. Within a second, they became lost in each other's eyes and the world around them once again disappeared. That was, of course, until the collective sound of multiple pens being put down signalled to her that she still had her job to do.

"Ok, guys, let's talk about the finals. Anyone have any questions about the exam?"

"Thanks everyone. Good luck tomorrow, just remember everything we've discussed over the past few weeks and you'll be fine. I'll see you all on Wednesday when you'll all tell me you've passed with flying colours."

Alex watched as her students filtered out of the classroom. She noticed one in particular take an incredibly long time to get packed up, however.

"Piper? Can you stay behind for a minute? There are some things I want you to tweak… in your paper."

Alex watched proudly as her innuendo caused Piper to turn bright red and try unsuccessfully to suppress waves of laughter.

"Your paper is in my office." Alex said as Piper approached her desk before they followed the students out of the classroom and walked the short journey down the hall to her office.

They didn't utter a sound as they made their way down the corridor. Alex could smell Piper's perfume and felt surrounded by it. Every time her arm accidentally bumped against her, Alex felt a shiver course its way through her entire body.

Alex was convinced that the time it took to walk from the classroom to her office had doubled today but eventually they were stood outside the door. She quickly pulled the keys from her pocket, unlocked the door and stepped inside. She was followed immediately by Piper who closed the door behind her and turned to face Alex.

"It's so goo…" Piper didn't have time to finish her sentence.

Alex pushed her against the door and pressed her body against the blonde's. Before Piper could utter another sound, Alex's lips were on hers. Alex kissed her deeply, passionately, like the three days they had been apart were three years. And that's what it felt like. Every passing moment that they were apart, Alex yearned for Piper. She was never one who enjoyed being in a 'relationship' and in the few she'd had in the past, she never felt a slither of the emotion she was feeling in that moment.

Her hands cupped Piper's cheeks as their mouths moved in sync. Piper's hands rested on Alex's back, holding her as close as possible. Alex slowed the intensity of the kiss and gently parted her lips from Piper's. She looked her in the eye and a small smile graced her face.

"I thought you weren't gonna be in until this afternoon?"

Piper raised her hand and tucked a misplaced strand of hair behind Alex's ear.

"I wanted to surprise you."

"You certainly did that, kid."

Alex threw her arms around Piper and held her close, leaning her hand down and locking the door behind her as she did.

She took Piper's hand in her own and led her towards the leather sofa in the corner. She sat down and patted her knee, signalling for Piper to sit on her lap. The blonde quickly complied and threw her arms around Alex's neck as she sat down.

"So…" Alex said as her hand rested on Piper's thigh "…tell me about your vacation."

Piper shook her head.

"What?" Alex enquired.

"I don't want to talk about that just now."

Before Alex could reply, Piper's lips were on hers, kissing her gently. The kiss quickly grew deeper and their tongues were soon intertwined. Alex's hand slid its way from Piper's thigh and moved up her side before resting on the side of her neck.

She slipped her arm under Piper's legs and lifted her up. Piper's arms were still around Alex's neck and their lips didn't part for a second. She placed Piper back on the sofa so she was now lying on her back and Alex was on top of her. Piper instinctively spread her legs and Alex fit perfectly between them. Her hands rested on the Professors ass squeezing it gently as their kiss deepened once more.

"Hey I was thinking…" Piper said in between their kisses.

Alex didn't reply. Instead she mumbled a noise as her lips moved to Piper's neck.

"Want to take this to second base?"

Alex's lips parted from the skin on Piper's neck and looked up to meet the suggestive smirk on her face.

"You still use the phrase 'second base'?" she chuckled.

"Yeah…" Piper smiled "…so what do you say?"

"Yes." Alex mouthed as her lips quickly found Piper's once more.

Their kiss quickly grew passionate and Alex could hear Piper's breathing intensify. Her hands were still on Alex's ass and she pulled Alex closer to her so there was now no space between both of their centres.

Alex felt her arousal grow as she began to grind slightly against Piper's sex. She could tell the blonde was enjoying it as she moaned into their kiss, causing a tingle to shoot its way through the brunette's body.

She sat up on the sofa and pulled Piper on to her lap so it was now her turn to grind against Alex as her thighs straddled the Professors waist. Alex's hands moved up Piper's thighs, grazed her hips and made their way to her breasts. They skimmed over the loose material of Piper's tee covering her breasts before reversing back and giving them more attention. Alex's right hand covered Pipers left breast as the other hand rested on her lower back, holding her close. She squeezed gently, causing Piper to involuntarily moan out loud.

Her hand made its way lower before joining the other and moving underneath Piper's tee. Her hands felt every inch of Piper's bare back. Alex slowly reached around and with both hands quickly unhooked Piper's bra. She smiled slightly into their kiss, proud of her efforts. Her hands quickly moved from her back and cupped both of Piper's breasts. Their kiss was still as hot as before as Alex began to massage both of Piper's perky breasts. Alex placed her thumb and fore finger around Piper's nipples and squeezed gently, causing Piper to gasp out loud.

"Fuck…" she breathily said as she reached her hands down and grasped at the hem of Alex's black jumper.

Alex knew what was coming next so she raised her arms in the air to help Piper out somewhat. With one quick, carefree motion Alex's jumper was over her head and thrown to the floor. Her hands moved inside Piper's jeans and rested on her ass but quickly moved when she felt Piper struggle with the clasp on her black lace bra. Her arm reached behind her back and undid the clasp before Piper removed the Professors bra and threw it to the floor.

"Thanks." She said before returning her lips to Alex's mouth.

Alex could tell Piper wasn't particularly experienced in this but it didn't matter. Piper wanted to experience this with Alex and that is all she cared about.

Alex was now naked from the waist up and as her big breasts fell free, Piper was quick to cover them with her hands. Her breathing intensified as Piper's hands massaged both her breasts. Before long, Piper's lips were tracing her neck with light kisses before moving to her chest. Alex gasped out loud as Piper's lips quickly covered her left breast while her hand continued massaging the other. Alex felt like she could lose control then and there as Piper licked and sucked gently on her nipple.

"Fuck Piper. That feels so good…" she whispered.

"Mmmm" Piper hummed in agreement.

Alex didn't feel like this was real life. She'd imagined these moments with Piper and now that she was actually experiencing them she couldn't believe her luck.

Unfortunately, the dream didn't last long as the couple were suddenly brought back down to earth with a bang on the door.

"Professor Vause… are you in there? We have a management meeting in 5 minutes."

"Shit" Alex said as she searched for her glasses on the sofa and looked at her watch.

"Yes, Professor. I'll be right there."

They waited until they heard Professor Hastings footsteps disappear as he made his way down the corridor.

"That was close." Piper said as she stood up from Alex's lap and handed over her bra and jumper.

"You're telling me" she replied as she got dressed.

"Second base was fun…" Alex said as she followed Piper towards the door "…Maybe at the weekend we could hit a home run." She raised her eyebrows and a suggestive smirk appeared on her face.

"I'd like that." Piper replied before placing a soft kiss on Alex's lips.

Alex opened the office door a crank to make sure the coast was clear before Piper stepped out. Alex watched as Piper walked down the corridor, the blonde turning her head and smiling back at the Professor before heading through the swing doors.

'Damn you and your interruptions Professor Hastings' Alex thought to herself as she grabbed her notebook and swiftly exited her hot and stuffy office.

"Pipes are you still awake?!" Polly called from outside her bedroom door.

Piper left Alex and came straight home. Finals had been at the back of her mind all week. She knew they were coming but hadn't given it much thought – she had been pretty distracted after all. It was only as she was walking down the corridor away from Alex that it hit her like a bullet in the brain. Finals were tomorrow. She had done next to no studying and she had to pass. SHIT.

She power walked home, made some grilled cheese and had been sat in front of her Mac ever since. It was now 3am and the words on the screen had started to fuse together. The smell of stale Gatorade surrounded her and she knew that anything she read now would go in one ear and out the other.

"Yeah Pol, I'll give it one more hour then I'll get some sleep." Her voice was slurred as she fought to keep her eyes open.

'Ok, one last chapter'

She stared blankly at the screen, attempting to read the words in front of her.

'The successful advertising strategy of any singular product or service allows consumers and stakeholders alike to…' She could feel her eyes shutting and the words could've been in a foreign language. This was a battle she didn't want to win.

Piper awoke 4 hours later, still sitting at her desk with her head on top of the keyboard of her Mac. Thankfully, she'd set an alarm the night before in case of this very event. She was so exhausted, she worried she'd sleep late and miss the exam all together. That'd be a fun call to her parents.

She groaned, yawned and stretched before making her way to the kitchen where Polly was waiting with freshly brewed coffee.

"Mmm… Coffee… Gimme" Piper said as she grabbed the coffee from Polly's hands.

"Did you eventually get some sleep?"

"If drifting in and out with my face on the desk counts as sleep then yes I got some sleep."

"That bad, huh?"

Piper nodded.

She'd never wanted to trade places with Polly ever before but right now in this moment when Polly's finals were all completed and passed she'd switch in a heartbeat – only if she could keep Alex, of course.

"You'll be fine, Pipes. You always are." Polly rubbed Piper's shoulder and kissed her head before making her way back to her sleeping boyfriend.

Piper hoped she was right. She knew she should have studied more and she should never have let anything get in the way of her potential success. She just hoped the binge reading and all-nighter would pay off.

She made some final notes before getting washed and ready and making her way to Litchfield. The suspense and worry was broken slightly as her phone vibrated with a text from Alex as she walked along the sidewalk.

Alex: Good luck, kid. You'll do great.

Piper smiled as the realisation hit her. No matter what happened today, no matter if she passed or not, she would still have Alex and even though it shouldn't, that seemed enough.

Piper stood amongst the crowd outside the exam hall as they waited to be called in. Many of the students were slumped against the wall or sat on the floor, notes in hand and their eyes furiously reading the paper. Piper chose the other option. She didn't look at her notes. She wasn't going to learn anything new in these next few minutes. Hopefully she knew enough already to get a good result.

She checked her seat number on the board outside the exam hall before they were called in. She took her seat and filled in her details on the front of the script. There were still a full 5 minutes to wait before the exam officially started. These were the worst five minutes. The exam paper was in front of her but she couldn't look at it yet. Those 4 sheets of paper would determine her future.

As this thought raced through her mind, she felt the nerves start to build up inside of her. She had been relatively calm until this moment but now that it was here, now that she was in her seat seconds away from the exam starting and there was no turning back, she felt a slight panic build inside her. The sweat was building on her palms and her heart was beginning to race. These feelings only multiplied as the invigilator called time.

'Here we go…' Piper thought to herself as she opened the first page of her exam script.

Piper raced to finish her last sentence after the invigilator called time at the end of the exam. Her writing was barely legible but she managed to get all her points written down.

She filtered out of the exam hall amongst the other students, stopping on the way to discuss the exam with some of her classmates before stepping outside in to the fresh New York air and walking the short journey home to her apartment.

The exam had gone well – much better than she thought it might. The questions she was hoping would come up appeared and there was only a couple of subjects she'd struggled with. She hoped she'd done enough yet she still had that doubt inside. She was still analysing the exam as she reached her apartment.

"Soooo… how did it go?" Polly asked as she lay in Pete's arms on the couch.

"Yeah… ok… I think…"

"Here… have some leftover Chinese to celebrate." Pete said as he passed Piper the white carton of chicken noodles.

"Not now. I'll save it for the morning when I find out my result. I'm pretty beat anyway, I'm gonna have a lie down."

Piper was exhausted. The stress of the past few days had well and truly caught up with her. Her time with Alex, her vacation with her parents and now her final exams had worn her out. She promised to call Alex and tell her how the exam went but she could feel her eyes closing as soon as she lay down. Within seconds, while her fingers were dialling Alex's number, she was sound asleep.

Piper awoke 12 hours later – she was clearly much more tired than she thought. 4:25am. She looked at her phone and almost ignored the time completely. She had one unread text message, three missed calls and one voicemail from Alex. She quickly put the phone to her ear and felt the butterflies in her stomach build as she listened to Alex's husky voice.

"Hey Pipes. Just checking to see how the exam went. Give me a call whenever you can."

Piper hated the thought that Alex could be worried about her and she felt incredibly guilty that she'd fallen asleep before contacting her. She knew Alex would be asleep but she decided to send her a text anyway.

Piper: Hey baby. I fell asleep as soon as I got home after the exam yesterday. I'm so sorry for not calling. I've only just woken up. I'll see you later on this morning. P

Piper lay in the darkness of her bedroom and looked out of her window into the deserted New York streets. She watched for 10 full minutes and not a sole made an appearance – so much for the city that never sleeps. She felt like she was the only one who wasn't sleeping in that moment.

The email with her exam results was due in at 8am yet she was still checking her inbox every 10 minutes. Her heart dropped every time that circular timer took a second too long to refresh only to show the same message over and over again; 'No new items.' She had to do something to distract herself for the next few hours. This was torture.

She made her way to the bathroom and ran a hot bubble bath. She removed all her clothes, placed them in the corner of the room and stepped in to the hot, soapy water. She lay back in the bath and attempted to relax. She was unsuccessful. All the 'what ifs' were circling in her head. What if she failed the exam? What if she couldn't graduate? What if her family disowned her because of her failure? She knew these were thoughts were best dealt with when they came around – and that time wasn't now. She wished she could calm down and relax. She thought about Alex and imagined she was there with her. She knew Alex would be able to calm her down. Even hearing her voice sent Piper into an instant state of relaxation. If Alex was with her though, in that hot bubble bath, Piper wasn't sure she'd want to calm down at all.

She stepped out of the tub and onto the cold bathroom tiles. She got dressed and debated on making some breakfast. She quickly changed her mind when she almost gagged as the smell of bagels from the deli below blew through her window. She couldn't stomach any food right now.

She checked her phone once more – still no email.

Piper decided she'd kill some time by reading a book. Reading always calmed her most severe nerves. Getting lost in the story and the characters took her away from reality and that is exactly what she needed right now.

Four and a half chapters in to 'The Kite Runner' and Piper's phone vibrated on the nightstand. She smiled as she assumed it would be Alex returning her text. It was already 7.20am and she figured the Professor would be waking up around this time anyway. The smile was quickly wiped from her face however, when the screen of her iPhone showed no text. Instead, it showed one new email and it was the email Piper had been dreading.

She froze on the spot for a few moments, terrified to open the email in case it confirmed her worst nightmares. Her heart was beating out of her chest and she failed to open the email on her first attempt as her hands were shaking so much.

Eventually she managed to control her fingers and opened the email. She scanned the screen and saw the word 'Congratulations' before her eyes were drawn to the bold 84% figure halfway down the page. Finally, she could breathe again. She was ecstatic as the realisation hit her. She had passed. She had barely let the news sink in before she was out the door. There was only one person she wanted to tell about her success.

Running through the side streets of New York to Litchfield University had become a regular occurrence for Piper over the past few weeks. Only today, she was running for a different reason. She wasn't late for class and she didn't have any deadlines to meet – both of which had become routine for Piper recently. Today she was running towards Alex. She wanted Alex to be the first person she told about her success. She wanted to share this with her.

She didn't notice Alex's motorbike on the way in but she wasn't really looking. It was around 8.30am by the time Piper reached Litchfield and she knew Alex was usually in her office at this time preparing for the day ahead – she prayed that today was no different.

As she passed through the double doors and made her way down the marketing wing, she saw Alex step in to her office and close the door behind her. A wave of relief and excitement came over her. It was another 10 seconds before Piper reached the door but she didn't stop for breath when she arrived. Instead she swung open the door, stepped in and leaned against the closed door behind her as she finally stopped to control her breathing.

Alex hadn't even removed her jacket yet. She was in the middle of placing folders on her desk as she immediately noticed Piper.

"Pipes? Are you ok?" Alex walked quickly towards the blonde who was still trying to catch her breath and slow down her heartrate. She placed both her hands on Piper's shoulders and looked her in the eye, a concerned look plastered her face.

"I'm fine, Al. More than fine actually. I passed. I got 84%" Piper struggled to contain her joy and the emotion could be heard in her voice.

She watched as a smile broke out on Alex's face. It was a smile she'd never seen before – one filled with pride and laced with relief.

Alex pulled Piper into a close embrace before picking her up and swinging her around in circles.

"You fucking rockstar. I knew you'd do it."

As much as she loved the spontaneous act of affection, Piper was glad when her feet were back on the ground – she hadn't eaten in around 18 hours and was already feeling lightheaded.

"Thanks, Al. I ran here to tell you."

Alex placed her hand at the back of Piper's head and pulled her closer until her lips reached the blondes forehead where she placed a gentle kiss.

"I'm so proud of you, baby." She said as she pulled her lips away and caught Piper's gaze.

"I couldn't have done it without you."

"Yes, you could've but I'm glad you didn't." Alex smiled.

Piper threw her arms around Alex's neck and closed the gap between them. She placed a soft, sensual kiss on the Professors lips before pulling her into a close embrace. They stood there like that for a number of minutes; hugging, holding each other close before Alex reluctantly broke the embrace.

"I have an all-day meeting with the faculty here which starts in about 3 minutes." Alex said.

Piper could tell she wasn't looking forward to it. Alex struggled to hide the emotion in her voice when she spoke.

"So you won't be in class?"

"No."

"Oh." Both women were disappointed that they wouldn't see each other all day. Thankfully, Alex came up with a suitable alternative.

"What are you doing tonight?" Alex said as she took Piper's hand in her own, slowly grazing the skin on her palm with her thumb.

"Nothing. Why?"

"Why don't you come over to my apartment? I could make you dinner and we could watch a movie. We could celebrate your exam success."

"I'd love to." Piper tried to control the excitement in her voice.

"Good."

Alex reached for a pen on her desk and scribbled her address on Piper's hand.

"7.30… be there."

"I will." Piper said as she blew Alex a kiss and made her way out of the office.

Piper had become used to the long days at Litchfield and was unfortunately today faced with another. She had spent most of her day in the library. Finals were over, and she was glad about that but she still had her final paper to hand in. Piper was a perfectionist and even though she knew the paper was good enough to pass, she rewrote it over and over and over again until she was sure it was 100%.

Polly had brought her coffee and a takeaway cesar salad for lunch. Both of which were still sat on the desk. Too much coffee sometimes gave her a funny tummy and she didn't want to eat or drink anything that could affect her appetite tonight.

Finally, she was happy with her work. She hit save, printed the paper and handed it in before leaving Litchfield for the day. She had enjoyed her time at University but was incredibly relieved that she only had a couple more days there. She'd do all those years over and over again, however, as long as Alex would be her professor and she could see her every day.

She stopped at Macy's on the way home and bought a new outfit for the night. After trying on four or five different items she finally settled on skin tight black jeans and a nude coloured blazer. She'd finish the look with her favourite heeled shoe boots that were lying under her bed.

After time dragging in all day, it was now flying by and before she knew it Piper was home, showered, dressed and waiting on her cab to arrive. The excitement was already taking over her.

After one quick stop on the way, the cab driver pulled up in front of what Piper assumed was Alex's building. She paid the driver – tipped him extra because she was in a good mood – and made her way to the main entrance. The sandstone building was situated in an affluent area of the West Village and Piper smiled as she saw Alex's motorbike parked directly outside the door – looking somewhat out of place in the WASPy area.

She pressed the number on the intercom that Alex had written down on her hand. After a few seconds of silence someone picked up but there was no answer. Instead she was buzzed straight in to the building.

"Evening Maam" The doorman said as Piper entered the building.

She smiled at the older gentleman and made her way to the elevator. After a short journey, she stepped out on to Alex's floor and made her way to the apartment at the end of the hall. As her heels walked along the carpeted floor, Piper couldn't stop herself from feeling a slither of jealousy at how luxurious Alex's building was compared to her own. These thoughts didn't linger long however as she was finally in front of Alex's door. She smiled as the door was swung open, expecting Alex to be smiling back at her. Alex was there and she was smiling at her but she wasn't alone.

A small, frizzy haired woman stepped out of the apartment.

"Aren't you going to introduce us Vause?" The woman said as she looked Piper up and down.

Alex hesitated for a moment before she spoke.

"Nicky, this is Piper. Piper this is my best friend Nicky Nichols."

"Ahhhhh so you're Piper." Nicky said before turning her gaze to Alex, who was stood in the doorway. "You were right."

With that, Nicky turned and made her way towards the elevator. As they watched the woman leave, Alex grabbed Piper's hand and pulled her in to the apartment. She quickly closed the door and kissed Piper on the lips.

"Hi." She smiled as their lips parted.

"You were right about what?" Piper enquired.

"What?"

"Before Nicky left she said you were right. What was she talking about?"

"Ah." Alex said as she realised what Piper was talking about. She looked slightly embarrassed before she continued.

"When I told Nicky about you I told her that you were beautiful and that when you smile even the darkest of rooms lit up. I guess she saw that too."

Piper felt her heart drop. She couldn't believe how lucky she was that this woman felt these things for her. She was speechless. She didn't know whether to kiss Alex, hug her or drag her to bed. She obviously chose the awkward option and stood there glued to the floor.

"These are for you." She eventually found her voice.

Piper had stopped off at a corner shop on her way to Alex's apartment. She bought flowers for the Professor and a thank you card which she scribbled on during the remainder of the bumpy car ride.

"They're beautiful, Pipes. Thank you." Alex said as she took the flowers from Piper's hands and placed them in a nearby vase.

"I also got you this. It's a Thank You card. Just to say thanks for being an awesome Professor."

Alex took the card and read it slowly to herself.

Dear Alex,

I thought these last few weeks would be the most stressful of my life. Instead, they turned out to be the best.

Thank you for being an amazing Professor and for helping me get through this course.

Thank you also for walking in to my life and for making me endlessly happy.

Piper xo

PS. I also wanted to say thank you for being an incredible kisser and for being incredibly hot.

Alex placed the card on the counter and turned to face Piper. As she got closer, Piper could see the moisture form in Alex's eyes. She kissed her slowly and full of passion. She picked Piper up and sat her on the kitchen counter, the blonde's legs wrapped around Alex's waist. They continued to kiss, their tongues intertwined as Alex's palms simultaneously grazed Piper's thighs. Piper tightened her grip around Alex's waist and her hands held her close. There was nowhere in the world she'd rather be than right here, right now.

They were pulled out of their embrace as the microwave beeped.

"Dinner's ready." Alex smiled as she helped Piper down from the counter and kissed her one last time.

Alex refused to allow Piper to help with dinner. She sat at the table until everything was ready. Her eyes glanced around Alex's apartment. It was modern, spacious and reflected Alex's personality perfectly. The record player in the corner was on and played the sounds of one of New York's newest indie bands. The apartment was lit by many candles situated throughout the rooms. Alex's leather jacket was placed neatly over the arm of the brown fabric sofa and the fire was on making this one of the cosiest rooms she'd ever been in.

"Here you go." Piper was snapped out of her daydream by Alex's voice.

"I bought some champagne to celebrate your success." Alex continued.

Piper smiled and took the glass from the Professor, celebrating was exactly what she wanted to be doing tonight.

Dinner was incredible. Alex sure knew how to cook. She had made smoked salmon and cream cheese for dinner which was followed by the richest chocolate fondant Piper had ever tasted.

"That was… incredible." Piper said as she swallowed the last bite.

"Glad you enjoyed it kid."

The fact that Alex could cook as well as she'd shown that evening, made her even more attractive to Piper – if that was at all possible. Piper wanted nothing more than to drag her in to the bedroom at that very moment. The two days that were left of them being student/teacher were going to be torture.

They sat at the table for the next 30 minutes talking about life and drinking champagne. Piper talked mostly about Alex's amazing cooking skills. She felt shivers throughout her body as Alex's foot slowly grazed Piper's shin under the table.

"Come on." Alex said as she stood up and held out her hand for Piper to grab hold of. "Let's go and watch a movie."

Piper followed behind as Alex led the way to her bedroom. She lay down on the bed and patted the space next to her. Piper removed her shoes and joined Alex on the soft, dark duvet.

"You pick the movie." Alex said as she handed Piper the remote.

After a lot of searching, Piper finally settled on a movie; Pretty Woman. She pressed play on the remote and turned immediately to face Alex.

They were both laying on their side facing each other, their bodies only centimetres apart. Alex grazed Piper's cheek softly as Piper rested her hand on Alex's ass. They made out for several minutes, ignoring the movie completely. It was the most sensual experience Piper had ever had. It wasn't a rip your clothes off fuck me kiss. Rather, it was a kiss filled with love and closeness and Piper lost herself in Alex's lips.

"You're amazing." Piper whispered as her lips parted from the brunettes.

Alex let a soft smile form on her lips before the two women turned their attention to the movie for the first time that evening.

Piper turned so she was now laying on her other side and Alex spooned her from behind.

"Hold me tighter." Piper whispered as Alex's arm pulled Piper closer to her.

"Tighter…" Piper wanted to feel as much of Alex as she could.

Alex held Piper's body against her own and snuggled her lips in to Piper's neck. Piper's hand reached down to her stomach and her fingers quickly interlinked with Alex's. A satisfied sigh escaped her mouth as she felt Alex's warm breath on her neck She was content and she felt safer with Alex in this moment than she'd ever felt in her life before.

Before long, both woman had fallen asleep in each other's arms.


	11. Out Of Town

The birds were chirping in the trees outside and the sun was shining through the open window above the bed. Piper lay there content with her eyes closed, enjoying feeling the warm sun on her face. She was happy here and she didn't want to wake up. When Piper eventually forced her eyes open, she panicked slightly as she looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings. A relieved smile appeared on her face when she finally realised where she was. She turned over to her left side expecting Alex to be lying beside her but was left disappointed when that side of the bed lay empty.

With the exception of her heels and jacket, Piper was still fully clothed. Alex must have covered them with the duvet after she fell asleep last night. Piper hadn't meant to drift off and she hoped Alex wouldn't be inconvenienced or annoyed that she slept over. She sat up in bed relaxing on the pillows that were propped up on the headboard. She looked around the room, attempting to become as familiar with her surroundings as possible – she hoped she'd be spending a lot more time here in the coming weeks. The dark coloured walls looked much brighter as the sun streamed in from outside, and Piper felt like she was in heaven as she relaxed in the dark satin sheets.

She heard a rattle outside the bedroom door and smiled as she saw Alex walk through, struggling to stay quiet as she did.

"Shit, you're awake."

"And there was me hoping you'd be glad that I was conscious again." Piper smiled as she took in the beauty that stood before her.

Alex still had the previous night's clothes on and was void of any makeup. Her pale skin shone even brighter as it met the many rays of sunshine and Piper struggled to understand how someone could be so beautiful.

"I wanted to surprise you." Alex raised her hands as she made her way towards Piper.

"Breakfast in bed?"

"Yeah." she replied as she placed a large tray topped with coffee, pancakes and fruit over Piper's legs.

"It looks beautiful Al, thank you." Piper leaned over and kissed Alex on the lips as the brunette slid back into her side of the bed.

The breakfast was incredible and Piper enjoyed every bite as she and Alex sat in silence breaking off pieces of pancake and feeding them to each other.

"I guess I fell asleep last night… I didn't mean to sleep over… Sorry." Piper said when there was no food left on her plate and she had placed the empty tray on the floor.

"Don't be silly. I loved having you here."

"You did?" Piper said, slightly surprised at Alex's answer.

"Yeah. I woke up in the middle of the night and you were still in my arms. I think that's the best sleep I've had in a really long time."

Piper smiled and laid her head on Alex's chest.

"Keep this weekend free." She heard Alex say as she held her close.

Piper lifted her head as she met Alex's gaze.

"Why?"

"I have a surprise for you." Alex smirked.

Piper waited a second for Alex to continue but grew quickly impatient when she stayed quiet.

"Aren't you gonna tell me what it is?"

"Kiss me first."

Piper didn't need to be asked twice and she quickly pulled Alex's face towards her own. Her kiss was full of hunger and her tongue grazed Alex's bottom lip. Her hand moved from Alex's neck and rested on her breast. She squeezed gently as their mouths continued to move as one.

"Like that?" Piper asked as their lips slowly parted.

"Exactly like that." Alex smiled.

"So come on Vause, what's the surprise?"

"Ok… well… My friend Jeremy owns this beautiful beach house just outside of the city that he only uses once or twice a year. It's huge and it overlooks the ocean. It's so relaxing and peaceful. I thought I'd take you there this weekend?"

"Really?" Piper's face lit up.

"Yeah. I mean, after 5pm tomorrow you're no longer my student, you're just mine and I thought we could celebrate that."

"I'd love to Alex."

Both women smiled as they pulled the duvet over their heads and continued their make out session.

Piper was reluctant to leave Alex's apartment, she wished she could stay there with her all day. In her bed, in her arms… Unfortunately she had lunch plans with her mother and she couldn't bear to face the Chapman wrath if she cancelled.

As she walked the New York streets on the way home she thought of nothing but Alex. She thought of the upcoming weekend and couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. This weekend was the first time she could be together with Alex and not worry that someone might see them. She'd be able to experience everything about Alex. She'd be able to feel all of her, hold her hand in public and make love to her – all the things she'd been dreaming of since the first time she ever laid eyes on her.

Polly questioned her smile as she entered the apartment. Thankfully Piper managed to dodge the subject and quickly changed before heading to the café to meet her Mother.

Mrs Chapman had arranged lunch with Piper and as much as she was reluctant, Piper accepted. She still had to tell her Mom about her success in finals so she used this as the perfect opportunity to do so.

She walked into the small corner café and saw her Mother wave at her from a table by the bar.

"Hey Mom." She said as she kissed her Mother on the cheek and took her seat.

Piper spent the next hour listening to her Mother either talk about her trip to The Hamptons or question if Piper was eating enough as she was looking too thin. She'd lost track of the amount of times she had asked herself why she'd agreed to this. She was eager to change the subject.

"So, Mom, my finals were this week."

"And how did they go dear?" Her Mother asked, not taking her eyes off of her blackberry.

"Really well actually. I got 84%"

Her Mother put her phone on the table and looked Piper in the eye. The pride Piper expected to see was missing.

"84? What happened to the other 16%?"

"84% is a pretty good result, Mom."

"It might be pretty good, Piper, but 'pretty good' can always be better."

Piper exhaled and let out a slight chuckle. Of course it was too much for her to expect her Mother to be proud of this achievement. She laughed at her own stupidity for imagining that her Mother could ever focus on anything but her shortcomings.

The silence was deafening and Mrs Chapman soon realised she'd crossed the line. She apologised, congratulated her daughter and quickly made her way out of the café as she was 'running late for her hot stone massage.'

As she sat alone in the corner of the retro café, Piper thought about Alex's reaction when she told her of her exam success. It was full of pride and love while her Mother's was cold and reeked of disappointment. This still wasn't enough to bring Piper down from the high she was riding. All she thought about was the weekend and Alex. Nothing could bring her down now.

"This is from all of us, Professor Vause. Thanks for being an awesome Professor the past few weeks." Alex smiled from behind her desk as Luke handed her the large bottle of wine.

"Thank you, Luke and thanks to all you guys for being great students."

It was Alex's last day at Litchfield and as she walked through the gates one last time she felt a wave of sadness throughout her body. She had enjoyed her time there much more than she thought she would. She'd experienced some great things and had met some amazing people. She'd miss seeing her students every day and she'd miss the thrill of affecting their lives in such a positive way. Thankfully, the placement had been completely successful and her place at NYU was confirmed.

Of course, in years to come, Litchfield University would only be remembered by Alex for one thing. She looked out to her class and smiled as she saw Piper's face. She was still overwhelmed by the feelings she was experiencing but she knew she never wanted to part with them. She never wanted to part with Piper.

Not much teaching happened that day, instead Alex acted as DJ and played some requests from her laptop. After the third Nicki Minaj song, she looked at the clock and dismissed everyone 15 minutes early – anything to not have to suffer any more of her music.

"All right guys. I just want to say a huge THANK YOU for being a great class. Congratulations on all your success in the exams. A bit of life advice for you to take with you; Always remember to be yourself, never let anyone tell you any different and never give up on those you love. Now get out there and live your fucking life"

The class erupted in cheers and the each student shook Alex's hand as they exited.

"Thank you for everything, Professor." Piper said as she was the last to leave the classroom.

"You're welcome Miss Chapman." Alex held on to Piper's hand for a few seconds too long, smiling as the blonde left.

She watched as Piper left the classroom, stood outside until the other students were out of sight then walked backwards back into the room and closed the door after her.

Alex chuckled at Piper's efforts.

"Stealth." She laughed as Piper approached.

Piper smiled and leaned over the desk to place a kiss on Alex's lips.

"I got you something." She said as she made her way over to her desk and picked up a bag which was strategically placed under her chair.

"What is it?" Alex said as she took the bag from Piper's hands.

"Open it and see."

Alex done as Piper said and watched the blonde smile suggestively as Alex pulled the sexy two piece black lace lingerie set from the gift bag.

"Hot." She said as she admired the items.

"You have to promise to wear it this weekend." Piper said.

"Only if you promise to rip it off." Alex raised her eyebrows and smirked at the blonde.

"Deal." Piper said as she leaned over to kiss Alex once more.

Time always flew by when they were together and after what seemed like two minutes it was already time for Alex's next class. She walked Piper to the locked door. She leaned her head down to whisper in her ear.

"I'll pick you up at 3 tomorrow."

"I can't wait." Piper replied.

Alex placed her hand under Piper's chin and moved it upwards before placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Me neither." She replied as she unlocked the door and watched as Piper made her way down the corridor.

Her bag was packed and she was waiting on the sofa ready to go. Piper barely slept at all the night before. She was like a kid at Christmas. She couldn't wait to experience everything that this weekend would hold.

She heard the car horn and quickly jumped to her feet. She grabbed her things, said a quick goodbye to Polly and made her way downstairs and towards Alex.

She smiled as she saw Alex leaning against her car door watching as Piper got closer to her.

"Hi." Piper said as she finally reached Alex.

"Hey" she replied before continuing "I can finally do this…"

Alex put both hands on Piper's face and placed her lips against the blondes. They both shared a smile as they pulled away before Alex grabbed Piper's bag, placed it in the boot of the car and opened the passenger door signalling for Piper to get in. It was their first public kiss and Piper felt like she was floating as she made her way around the car. She noticed Polly watching them from the window. The friends shared a sweet smile before Piper mouthed "Pervert" in her direction and entered the vehicle. Polly laughed and closed the curtains.

The house wasn't far out of the city and the journey was short. Piper's hand rested on Alex's thigh the entire time and the brunette dropped her hand into Piper's whenever the opportunity to do so presented itself.

After an hour or so of driving, Alex pulled up outside the large beach house.

"Here we are." She said as she turned to face Piper.

The house was just as beautiful as Alex described and Piper admired it from the car before stepping outside. She could see the swimming pool out back and struggled not to rip off all of her clothes then and there and dive in – it was a hot day in New York.

"Do all of your friends ride motorbikes too?" Piper said as she noticed the Harley Davidson parked on the lawn as she and Alex walked hand in hand towards the entrance.

Alex just laughed, pulled out the keys and opened the door to the house.

Piper was taken aback by how beautiful the house was. It was decorated in a modern and chic way and it smelled of vanilla. It was bright and the views of the ocean were spectacular. That added to the fact that Alex was standing next to her made for a very promising weekend. After receiving the tour, Piper pulled a hesitant Alex towards the swimming pool.

"Thank you for this Alex. I'm so lucky to have you." Piper said as she leaned against the wall of the pool and pulled Alex close.

"You deserve it." Alex replied as she lifted Piper's legs up under the water and wrapped them around her waist before meeting the blonde's lips once more.

"Come on…" Alex said as she broke off the embrace and started to make her way out of the pool "…I have something to show you."

Both the women stepped out of the pool and dried off before Alex took Piper by the hand, led her across the freshly cut grass, into the house and up the stairs. She opened a door in the corner of the bedroom and motioned for Piper to step in. She followed and closed the door behind her.

"Wow" Piper said as she looked around the master bathroom. The lights were dimmed and the room was lit mostly by the scented candles which Alex must've set up earlier. The steam from the freshly run bubble bath in the corner was surrounding the room as well as Piper.

"I thought we could take a bath." Alex said to Piper as she stood in front of her in the middle of the large bathroom.

"I like that idea."

"Yeah? I thought it'd be fun to get clean before we get dirty later." She winked at Piper.

"Oh my God! That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard!" Piper burst out laughing at Alex's expression.

"I know." Alex chuckled.

Still laughing Piper moved closer to Alex and nuzzled into her. Alex moaned as Piper began to lay soft, wet kisses on her neck. Piper loved hearing Alex moan in pleasure. It always caused her own arousal to quickly build. As she continued kissing, Piper felt Alex's hands move up and untie the cord on her bikini top. She stopped kissing and looked Alex in the eye. She was nervous for Alex to see her naked for the first time but she tried not to show it. What if Alex didn't like what she looked like naked? What would she do then? These thoughts raced through her mind as Alex undid the second cord and watched as the bikini top fell to the ground. Alex's eyes immediately darted to Piper's breasts and didn't move for a number of seconds. A smile was on her face when she finally met Piper's eye. Before Piper could react, Alex had lowered the straps on her own one piece bathing suit and with one slow motion pulled it to the ground and stepped out. Piper took in every inch of Alex's athletic, toned, feminine body. Her curves were in all the right places and she looked even better without clothes. Alex caught Piper giving her the once over and took a step towards her. Their bodies were now touching, their breasts pressed against each other's. Alex pulled Piper into a deep and passionate kiss before she fell to her knees. Piper looked down as Alex was kneeling before her. Her hands moved up her calves, thighs and over her ass before landing on her waistband. She pulled slowly, removing the blonde's bikini bottoms and holding Piper as she stepped out of them. Alex looked up and smiled at Piper before she took to her feet and grabbed the blonde's hands.

"Come on." She said as she led Piper to the tub in the corner.

Alex stepped in first and sat down against the back of the bath tub. She held her hands out for Piper to follow. The blonde stepped into the hot water and sat between Alex's spread legs. Her back was against Alex's front and her chest was covered by Alex's folded arms. She moved her head to the side where she was quickly met with Alex's lips on her own.

They lay there for what seemed like a lifetime. Piper felt so happy and content in Alex's arms. Alex covered her chest in the steaming hot water before her hands covered both her breasts and massaged them deeply.

"Fuck… Al…" Piper moaned out as Alex squeezed and pinched both of Piper's already hard nipples.

Alex slowed her hands down and turned Piper's face towards her own. She quickly closed the gap between them and kissed her slowly. Piper's tongue found Alex's and she held on to the brunette's thigh to stop herself from slipping in the water.

"We have dinner plans." Alex whispered as she broke the embrace.

"We do?"

Alex nodded and stepped out of the tub. She stood there naked holding out her hands for Piper to grab hold of. As soon as Piper stepped out into the cool air, Alex wrapped a towel around her shoulders and both women went to get dressed for their dinner.

"Are you ready baby?" Alex shouted from outside the bedroom door.

"Just a sec."

Piper had brought way too many clothes with her and spent the best part of the last hour trying them on and dismissing them. Eventually she settled on a new black dress which clung to her in all the right places. Her hair and makeup was done and finally she slipped on her Louboutin's and made her way down the stairs and into the living area where Alex was waiting.

"Ok. Ready." She said as she stood in the doorway.

"Fuck." Alex said as she stood up from the couch and moved towards Piper "You look… amazing." She kissed Piper softly on the lips.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Alex asked.

"Take half the time getting ready that I do and still look like that?"

Piper looked Alex up and down and tried to control the thoughts that were racing through her mind. She was wearing black leather skinny pants, a white sleeveless blouse and a black blazer. Her long jet black hair sat perfectly on her chest and the heels made her even taller and sexier than usual.

"What can I say? It's a talent kid." Alex smirked as the women left the property.

The restaurant was less than a mile away so they walked there hand in hand enjoying the freedom and openness that they could now experience. They stepped inside and the waiter showed them to their table. It was a beautiful and classy Italian restaurant that Piper had noticed as they drove in to the estate earlier in the day. A pianist played from the corner and candles lit every table. The waiter brought their requested bottle of wine and took their order. Alex poured them each a large glass and raised hers in toast.

"To us, kid."

"To us."

The women clinked glasses and took a large sip of their wine. Alex grabbed Piper's hands in her own on top of the table and stroked the top of Piper's hand with her thumb. The restaurant was busy and Piper could feel eyes turn towards the couple and whispers coming from the neighbouring tables. She always knew they would face this kind of attention but she accepted it because she was happy. Happier than she'd ever been before.

"I'm glad you're here, Pipes." Alex said as she kept hold of Piper's hands.

"I'm glad…" Piper didn't finish her sentence.

She saw a figure from behind Alex's shoulder approach them. At first she thought it was all in her imagination but as she blinked and looked again, she saw him get closer. He was smiling at her, now only inches from their table and Piper wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Too late.

"Hey Pipes." He said as both she and Alex turned to face the voice.

"Larry, what are you doing here?" Piper said as she was sure her heart was about to beat out of her chest.

"My date…" He pointed to a red headed woman at the bar "…is from this area."

Piper nodded. After a moment of silence, Larry turned his attention to Alex.

"So I guess you must be Alex?"

Alex looked confused, she glanced at Piper who avoided all eye contact then looked up at Larry.

"Yeah… and you are?"

"I'm Larry. Piper's boyfriend. Well ex-boyfriend I guess I should say. As of 1 or 2 weeks ago now. 2 weeks right Pipes?"

"What?" Alex asked but her question wasn't directed at Larry, her attention was on Piper.

Piper remained silent. She felt like she was about to have a panic attack. She knew Alex would be pissed at her for keeping Larry a secret.

"Larry, we're just about to have dinner, we can catch up another time." Piper said as Larry nodded his goodbyes and made his way back to his date.

Alex's hands moved away from Pipers and the blonde could sense her mood.

"Alex, listen, I…"

"Are you fucking kidding me Piper?" Alex interrupted "Your fucking boyfriend?!"

"Ex-boyfriend."

"I can't fucking believe this." Alex's voice was getting louder and her mood was growing more intense. Piper could see the other diners stare at them and the last thing she wanted was for them to cause a scene… especially in front of Larry."

"Alex, please, don't do this here."

"Yeah, you're right, let's go." Alex stood up, put her jacket on and threw some cash on the table to cover the bill. She stormed out of the restaurant and Piper was left following behind. Thankfully, Larry didn't notice as they exited.

The tension she felt on the walk back to the house was unlike any atmosphere Piper had ever experienced. Alex didn't say a word and she walked slightly in front. Piper didn't have any words. She knew she'd made a mistake so she remained silent also. She knew what was coming as soon as she shut the front door.

Alex threw her bag to the floor and turned to face Piper, her hand scraping though her hair as she did.

"I can't fucking believe you didn't tell me about him Piper." She shouted.

Piper could sense her anger and she understood it. All she could do was apologize.

"I'm so sorry. I left him as soon as I was sure about my feelings towards you."

"When did you leave him?" Alex asked sternly.

"A couple weeks ago."

"So when I took you out on that date, when we kissed for the first time in your apartment that night, you were with him?"

Piper nodded and looked to the ground as the tears began to fall from her eyes.

"I risked everything for you Piper…" Alex's voice had changed, it was no longer angry instead it was filled with sadness and Piper looked up to see the build in her eyes. "…my job, my future, everything… and you were seeing him behind my back not giving a shit."

"I do give a shit Alex. I should've told you. I'm so sorry."

"I have to get out of here."

Piper didn't reply. Alex marched up the stairs and Piper heard her collect her things. She remained standing at the bottom of the stairs hoping Alex was bluffing, the tears streaming from her eyes.

"You know what…" Alex said as she came back down the stairs, her bags in hand "…I deserve this. This is what I fucking get for falling in love with the straight girl."

"Alex please… wait… what did you just say?"

Alex just told Piper that she was in love with her, albeit not the way she imagined it to be said but they both loved each other so there had to be some hope for them, right? This couldn't be the end.

Alex looked at Piper with her tear filled eyes. She didn't answer her question.

"I'm gonna take the bike. My keys are on top of the bed. Take my car and drive yourself home. I can't be here tonight."

Piper didn't plead with Alex to stay. Her mind was made up and there was no changing it. She watched from the doorway as Alex threw on the helmet, started the engine and drove off out of sight.


	12. Please Don't Go

The rain was bouncing off of the ground outside the window and the skies were dark. It was a grim night and not a sole was in the street but compared to the feelings Piper felt inside, the atmosphere at the other side of the glass shone brighter than the sun.

"Please don't go." Piper whispered to herself under her breath as she watched Alex speed away out of the estate and towards the highway.

Her eyes were filled with tears and she struggled to maintain focus. Alex soon became a blur in the distance and Piper started to bawl as soon as she lost sight of the brunette. She fell to the floor and let it all out. She cried for what she'd done, the hurt she had caused and the weekend she had ruined but most of all she cried because she may have just witnessed the love of her life walk out on her.

Piper never meant to hurt Alex, she had genuine reasons for keeping Larry a secret. She was terrified that it would put Alex off and she might bail. Despite this, she understood why Alex would be upset. She had always planned on telling her about Larry but the weekend was going so perfectly that she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

'Fucking Larry' Piper thought to herself as she stood up, got her bearings and wiped clean her eyes and cheeks where the many tears had fallen. She couldn't believe Larry had ruined her weekend and possibly her future with Alex. She was angry at him even though she had no right to be. It was Piper who was in the wrong and she soon realised that it was about time she stood up and took responsibility for her fuck ups.

She climbed the stairs and entered the bedroom that Alex had vacated only moments before. She noticed her leather jacket lying on the bed which Alex must have forgotten to grab in her haste. She picked it up and put it to her face. It smelled exactly like Alex. Over the past few weeks, Piper had grown so accustomed to this sweet smell and she closed her eyes as she became surrounded by it in that moment. It was in that very moment that the sudden realisation hit her. She simply couldn't forgive herself if she never got the chance to smell that scent again, if she'd never be surrounded by it again as Alex held her close and she buried her head into her chest. She couldn't live without that smell or Alex in her life.

She held the jacket close to her chest as she searched for Alex's car keys. Piper was never one to give in and even though in that moment she felt defeated, she couldn't live with herself if she didn't fight for this relationship with everything she had. She wouldn't give up on Alex that easily. She grabbed the keys from the duvet, made her way to the car and started the engine.

Full of grit and determination she went after Alex. This couldn't be it for them. Piper wouldn't let it be. She was going to get her girl.

Her face was wet as she sped too fast down the gravel roads and away from Piper. It was a mixture of the torrential rain and the tears streaming from her eyes. The wind blew hard in her face and not for the first time that evening, Alex felt like she was suffocating. She was glad when she saw the city lights come in to view. Alex rode all the way back to New York, thinking of nothing but Piper.

She thought her life was going well. She had actually found someone who she could see herself being with and she had experienced love for the first time in her life. She thought maybe, just maybe, things would work out and then a massive spanner was thrown in the works. She couldn't believe Piper had lied to her. She had been seeing Larry behind her back and regardless of her feelings, Piper should have told Alex. She'd given Piper 100% of her attention yet she only received half of it back. It didn't matter to Alex how Piper felt about Larry, the fact that he had some of her attention when the new couple were together was enough to make Alex's stomach drop.

They'd never spoken about past relationships. Alex didn't have many to speak of but Piper was an incredibly beautiful woman and Alex knew she must have received an enormous amount of attention from guys and girls alike in the past. The main reason Alex didn't bring the subject up was because she didn't want to know the answer. Alex didn't even know if Piper was gay, straight, bisexual or whatever. She sure as hell knew now although she wished she didn't. All she went off of was the chemistry they had with each other. She knew it was real and she thought Piper felt it too. They flirted, dated and kissed all while Piper had a boyfriend. Being kept in the dark is what Alex hated the most and she struggled to envision a time in the near future where she'd be ok with it.

She pulled into her neighbourhood and saw her building come into sight. She stopped suddenly and u-turned in the middle of the road. She didn't want to be alone tonight. She didn't want to sit in her apartment and think about Piper all night. She needed someone to vent to. She had to rage to try and get it out of her system.

She hated leaving Piper alone back at the house but she had to think things through and she couldn't do that if Piper was next to her. She knew she'd give in if Piper was near and she couldn't risk making the wrong decision. She knew Piper would be fine, yet she still worried about her being alone. She put these worries at the back of her mind and pulled up outside Nicky's apartment.

A knock on the door and a long wait later, Nicky finally answered.

"Alex?" she sounded surprised as she stood there with tired eyes, boy shorts, a white tank and hair more wild than usual.

"Can I sleep on your sofa tonight?"

"Sure." She removed the chain, opened the door and Alex walked through.

"You wanna talk about it?" Nicky asked. She could tell Alex wasn't herself. Her eyes were puffy and red and she looked exhausted.

"Not right now... I just had a rough night and I don't really want to be alone in my apartment."

Alex surprised herself. She was sure she'd want to rage and bitch about Piper and everything that she'd done but now that she was here and faced with the opportunity, she couldn't bring herself to say a bad word about her. She had tired herself out with overthinking. Putting the thoughts from her head into words suddenly seemed like too much effort for the night.

"Ok. Well I'm here if you need me." Nicky smiled before rubbing Alex's shoulder and making her way back to her bedroom.

Alex thanked her before throwing her jacket and shoes off. Alex could always count on Nicky for support when she needed it but what she appreciated most was that Nicky gave her the time and space she needed. She didn't badger her with questions, instead opting to give Alex time to herself. And tonight, that is exactly what Alex needed.

She grabbed the tartan blanket that was folded in the corner of the sofa. She lay down and pulled it over her. Her head fell into her hands as she prepared herself for a sleepless night.

'Please be home.' Piper thought to herself as she pulled up outside Alex's apartment. Although she was in a hurry, Piper didn't speed her way home. She drove just under the speed limit until she reached the city. Her anxiety took over and as much as she wanted to put her foot down, she was terrified she might damage Alex's car and make the Professor even madder at her. She stepped out of the car and made her way to the door. The doorman recognised her and smiled as he let her in to the building. She took the elevator and power walked to Alex's door. She knocked and waited. No answer. After a lot of banging on the door and shouting of Alex's name, Piper still didn't receive a response. She turned on her heel and made her way to the exit and back to the parked car, noticing that the motorbike Alex rode back on was nowhere to be seen. She checked the side streets and the back car park, still no sight of the bike. She couldn't be home.

Piper got back in to the car and sat down on the driver's seat. She thought about where Alex could be. She knew her family didn't live close by so it was unlikely she went there. She didn't know where any of her friends lived.

'Except one' Piper thought to herself as a light switch went off in her head.

Piper remembered when Alex spoke about Nicky. She told her that they met years ago in O'Malley's. She remembered Alex saying that the group had a messy night at the bar then walked across the street and continued the party at Nicky's apartment. She had to stay across from O'Malley's. Piper quickly turned the engine on and sped down the street looking in Alex's window as she did but the sight she hoped to see wasn't there.

After getting lost once or twice, Piper finally pulled up outside O'Malley's. It had just gone midnight and there were drunk men falling out of the bar, many of them wolf whistling to Piper as she crossed the street. There were three apartment blocks that stood across the street. She wasn't sure which one – if any – was Nicky's. So she picked the middle – if in doubt, always go down the middle. She was relieved when she saw the name 'NICHOLS' on the intercom. Thankfully, the main door to the building was open and within seconds she found herself standing outside of Nicky's apartment.

As she quietly knocked on the door, she prayed that Alex was actually there. That'd be a really awkward conversation to have with a woman she barely knew. Her prayers were answered as Alex opened the door. She felt a surge of sadness, however, as she looked at her face. Alex had been crying, her eyes were red and still glassy. Piper was responsible for this and even that thought caused the tears to build in her own eyes.

"Hey" she said, her voice breaking slightly as the sounds came out.

Alex folded her arms and leaned against the door frame.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Lucky guess… Can I come in?" Piper asked.

Alex hesitated and looked at the floor for a moment before focusing her stare back on Piper. She wouldn't blame her if Alex told her to fuck off then and there. Instead, she stepped aside and motioned for Piper to enter the apartment. She stepped inside and waited on Alex before following her to the living room.

She sat down on the sofa and watched as Alex sat next to her. The space between them was almost too much for Piper to accept.

"You left your favourite jacket back at the house" Piper said as she reluctantly handed the leather jacket back to Alex.

Alex remained expressionless as she pulled the jacket from Piper's clutches and placed it over the arm of the sofa.

A moment of silence passed before Piper took a deep breath to prepare herself for what lay ahead.

"I'm just gonna say what I have to say. I'll try to explain everything and I pray that you'll understand."

Alex didn't reply, instead she nodded and waited for Piper to continue.

"Larry was my boyfriend for a number of years. At the start of the relationship I was happy, comfortable but I always felt like it was never enough, something was always missing. My feelings for him quickly began to disappear but I stayed with him out of comfort. It became a habit that I fell into. I knew for months that I had to end the relationship but I just didn't know how to." Piper stopped for breath and to compose herself before she continued...

"Then I met you and my whole world was turned upside down. The first time you smiled at me I knew instantly that I was in trouble." Piper glanced at Alex to see her listening intently, her face full of emotion as she smiled ever so slightly at that last sentence.

"You quickly became the centre of my universe…" Her voice was breaking with emotion but she continued "…You were… you are… everything that was ever missing from my life. You filled the hole inside that I felt was empty for so many years. I ended things with Larry that night… after we kissed for the first time. I knew then that there was no going back and I knew that you were it for me. When I told him it was over, he asked me why. I told him the truth. I told him I was in love with you."

Piper turned her head and looked at Alex. The tears were streaming from her eyes as she met Piper's gaze. Piper leaned over and used both her thumbs to wipe away the tears. Alex didn't stop her. When they were all gone, Piper sat back on the couch. She willed Alex to say something. She had to know what she was thinking.

"I just can't believe you didn't tell me Piper. I would have understood if you told me you were seeing him when we met. It feels like you've lied to me by keeping this massive secret."

"I'm so sorry baby, please…"

"I risked it all for you Pipes, I barely thought twice about it because I knew what I felt every time I looked at you – I knew that it was worth the risk. Then things like this happen and it reminds me why I've avoided relationships for so many years."

Piper could see the fear behind Alex's eyes as she sighed heavily and wiped away her own tears.

"What are you so afraid of Alex?"

"I'm afraid that you'll break my fucking heart Piper. That's what I'm afraid of."

Piper watched as Alex's gaze fell to the floor. She could tell just by looking at her face that the words that were coming out of her mouth were genuine. She had never seen her this vulnerable before. Alex was always confident, she took no shit and Piper always felt protected by her. Now, she was crumbling in front of her eyes and it was all Piper's fault.

She reached out and grabbed her hand. Alex stayed frozen but Piper latched on to her fingers with both hands.

"I promise you I'll never break your heart Alex."

"You've already lied to me Piper, how do I know you're not going to do it again 100 times over?" Alex turned and faced Piper, her eyes still laced with tears.

"I was terrified that it would come between us. That's why I didn't tell you. I didn't want to lose you."

Alex remained silent.

"Please, Alex, I need you to forgive me. I need you... Please baby… I need you." Piper's tears started to pour from her own eyes as the sounds of her sobs became louder. Alex didn't return the favour of wiping the tears away.

"I need time to think, Piper."

"About us?"

"…Yeah."

"This can't be it for us Alex."

Alex tucked a strand of Piper's hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek with her palm.

"Please, Piper, I just need some time. I need to try and process this."

Piper's face fell and she let go of Alex's hand. She couldn't believe she might have really fucked this up yet she understood. She understood why Alex was pissed. She had kept something huge from the woman who risked everything for her. Even though it killed her, the least she could give her now was time. She told Alex to take all the time she needed, she left the car keys, the apartment and Alex behind.

She couldn't do any more. She had apologised and told Alex the truth. The ball was in Alex's court now. Piper just hoped she would play it right.

The tears fell hard and fast as she sat in the back of the cab on the way back to her apartment. She didn't even feel the embarrassment when the driver offered her a tissue to control her sobs.

She fell into bed when she got home. She drifted in and out of sleep, checking her phone each time she woke up hoping for a message from Alex. There was nothing.

Alex let the tears fall for a few minutes when Piper left before wiping her face and sitting up on the couch. She heard the footsteps coming down the hall and eventually into the living room. Unlike earlier, she was now grateful for her friends company.

"Hey." Nicky said as she took a seat on the couch next to Alex.

Alex smiled in return.

"That sounded... heavy." Nicky continued.

Alex nodded and wiped her eyes. She was embarrassed that Nicky had heard the entire thing yet she was glad her friend was there when she needed her.

Alex told Nicky everything. She told her about Larry and what Piper had said. Her friend nodded in support as Alex spilled all of the details. Nicky put her arm around Alex's shoulder as she got upset once again.

"What is this thing with you and blondie?"

Alex didn't hesitate this time.

"I'm crazy about her."

"How crazy?" Nicky wondered.

"In love with her crazy."

"Shit."

Alex had known for weeks that she was in love with Piper, there was no question about it. The feelings she felt were too strong for it to be anything other than love.

"Yeah… shit." Alex replied, knowing she was now in a horrible situation.

"And there was me thinking Vause didn't do love." Nicky smiled.

"I don't but I've never felt this way before. Piper isn't just another girl… she is the girl and I could fucking punch myself for falling in love with her."

"We can't help who we fall in love with Al. It sounds like she feels the same. Not many people are gifted with that in their lives. Maybe it's time to bring down the wall a little and put yourself out there. If you get hurt then you get hurt but at least you'll get to experience genuine love."

"Maybe… When did you become so romantic?!" Alex smiled for the first time in hours.

Nicky laughed as she stood up from the couch.

"Don't tell anyone." She winked at Alex.

Nicky stopped in the doorway and turned back to her friend before she exited.

"Love is a bitch Vause. It looks like you're finally figuring that out. Just don't let something great walk away. If it's meant to be… it will be."


	13. That Night

After tossing and turning all night, Piper eventually fell into a deep sleep at around 7am. Unsurprisingly, she dreamt about Alex. She dreamt that they were on a beach together, walking hand in hand and embracing each other at every opportunity. She woke up with a smile on her face. A smile which lasted a whole two seconds and was quickly wiped clear when she realised the exact situation she was in – and it wasn't the one she dreamt of.

It was 1pm and she checked her phone once more, praying that Alex had tried to contact her. Piper prayed that she had given her another chance and things were ok between them. She felt like she'd been hit with a bullet through the heart when she saw the blank screen.

She pulled the covers over her head as the tears started to fall. She fell back asleep and back to her dreams of Alex. She hoped they'd soon be her reality again.

She awoke again at 4pm with a knock at the bedroom door.

'Maybe that's Alex.' Piper thought to herself as she sat up in bed, wiped her eyes and tried to make herself look semi-presentable.

She hoped Alex had come over to say she'd forgiven her. She'd give anything in the world for Alex to be standing at the other side of that door right now.

"Come in." Piper shouted as her heart rate increased.

Her heart sank once again as Polly walked through the door – Alex nowhere in sight. She struggled to keep her feelings to herself and a loud sigh escaped her mouth when her best friend entered the bedroom.

"Wow. I don't think anyone has ever looked so disappointed to see me." Polly said as she sat at the bottom of the bed and looked up at Piper.

Piper struggled to even smile.

"So, are you gonna tell my why you're still in bed at 4pm in the afternoon?" Polly quizzed Piper.

Piper told her friend everything. She told her that she was sure she'd fucked everything up with Alex. She was convinced that Alex would walk away and Piper would never see her again. Polly just listened. She nodded along when Piper needed reasurement and wiped away the tears when they inevitably fell from Piper's eyes.

"Ok, Pipes, let's get you out of bed." Polly said as she quickly whipped the duvet off, leaving Piper shivering as her body met the cold air.

"No. Polly, I really don't feel…" Piper tried to clasp the duvet back from Polly's clutches.

"Come on. Let's get ready and we'll go out and have some fun. We can drink vodka until you forget all about Alex… for a couple of hours at least."

Piper rejected Polly a few more times before giving in and dragging herself to the shower. She threw on a pair of ripped navy skinny jeans, heels and a tight black tee. Going out was the last thing she wanted to do. Having to interact with people and actually put energy into doing something was Piper's worst nightmare in that moment. She still felt like it was the better option, however. She couldn't spend another night wallowing in self pity and torturing herself over Alex without going crazy. Polly was right, laying in bed all day was going to make her feel 10 times worse. Alcohol would definitely help. She was sure of that.

"I promise we don't have to stay out long if you don't want to…" Polly said as she made her way to the front door.

Piper followed, her eyes still glued to her phone screen praying for some contact from Alex.

"If it gets me out of my head for a while, we can stay out all night."

Polly didn't answer. Instead she swung the front door open and Piper heard a loud gasp escape her mouth. She barely had the energy to look up from her phone but she would be eternally grateful that she did.

"Alex?!" she said a little too loudly, sure she was imagining things.

"I'll give you two a minute." Polly stepped aside and smiled at Piper as she made her way back in to the apartment.

Piper watched as Alex continued up the last two steps, flowers in hand and the smile Piper missed so dearly on her face. Her jaw was still on the floor and her heart rate increased as she watched Alex. The butterflies she knew so well were back in her stomach and she felt the same wave of emotion that she experienced the first time she ever saw the brunette.

"Hey kid." Alex said as she reached Piper and leaned against the arch of the doorway.

Alex looked incredible and Piper felt her eyes fill with tears as she looked at her. Maybe she hadn't messed everything up. Was Alex really going to give her another chance?

"Don't… Don't cry…" Alex said as she pulled Piper into a warm embrace.

Piper sank into Alex's arms and was overcome with emotion. She was back where she belonged in her lover's arms and she prayed she'd never have to leave again.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" Piper whispered into Alex's ear as the brunette held her close.

Alex pulled away and cupped Piper's cheeks with both hands. She looked in her eyes for a few seconds before she found the words.

"I can't walk away from you, Piper. Not now… not ever."

Piper quickly closed the gap between them. Her lips pressed deeply against Alex's and she smiled into the kiss. She couldn't believe she was back in Alex's arms. She was sure she had messed everything up and Alex wouldn't be interested. She truly believed that right at that moment, she was easily the luckiest girl in the world.

"There's someone I want you to meet." Piper said as she motioned for Polly to step outside.

"Polly this is Alex. Al this is Polly. The greatest friend in the entire world." Piper smiled genuinely at her friend, grateful for the support and loyalty she'd given her when she needed it most.

"Nice to meet you Polly." Alex held her hand out for Polly to shake.

"You too." Polly replied as she held Alex's hand.

"So, is it ok if I borrow her tonight?" Alex asked Polly, motioning to Piper.

"Sure. I'll call Pete, he can take me to dinner." Polly said as she smiled at the couple and made her way back in to the apartment.

"It's Nicky's birthday today and she's having her party at Sandy's. I thought you could be my date... if you want to…obviously…?"

"I'd love to." Piper replied, smiling ear to ear.

Alex returned the smile and held out her hand which Piper quickly grabbed on to it. She interlinked their fingers and they walked the few blocks to Sandy's. The smile didn't soften as they walked, it stayed glued to her face and she was sure it'd never disappear.

After a short time, they were close to the bar. Piper made her way to the front door but Alex grabbed her wrist stopping her from going any further. Piper turned to face the brunette with a confused look on her face.

Alex put both arms around Piper's waist and pulled her close.

"Before we go inside, there's something I want to say…"

Piper waited for her to continue.

"…I love you."

"You do?" Piper was caught off guard, she hadn't expected Alex to say those few words, she wasn't even sure if the Professors feelings were that strong. She couldn't be happier now that she knew they were.

"Yeah" Alex chuckled.

Piper tucked a strand of Alex's dark locks behind her ear.

"I love you too."

The brunette smiled and pulled Piper's lips to hers before they interlinked fingers once more and made their way inside the bar.

Sandy's was busy that evening, the crowds covered the dance floor and Piper struggled to even move. Thankfully, the Nichols party had the VIP section at the back of the club where they had slightly more room to manoeuvre. As the night went on and the drinks were flowing, it wasn't just the birthday girl who was feeling the effects. Piper and Alex were glued together all night. They could barely keep their hands off of each other and Piper longed for the night to be over so they could finally be together.

Many cocktails and a few shots later, Piper felt a little more than tipsy.

"Dance with me." She said as she pulled Alex from her seat and towards the dance floor.

They danced to the beat of Crazy in Love by Beyonce and Piper felt the arousal surge throughout her body as Alex grind up against her. Her ass was rubbing against the belt on Alex's jeans and the brunette held her so close she could feel her warm breath on the skin of her neck. Piper turned and pulled Alex close on the dance floor. She kissed her hard, their tongues quickly finding the inside of each others mouths. She couldn't care what anyone else around her thought. Piper let go of all the inhibitions she had, Alex was the only person she could do that with.

"Come with me" Alex said as she grabbed hold of Piper's hand, dragged her across the dance floor and down the stairs at the back of the club. Before she knew it, they were finally alone – albeit in a toilet stall but Piper would happily work with what she was given with the mood she was in.

Before she could utter a sound, Alex had her pushed up against the door of the cubicle. Her body was pressed hard into Piper's and the blonde needed to feel Alex's touch. The passionate kisses, the feeling of her tongue in her mouth and Piper's hands squeezing Alex's ass simply weren't enough anymore. She needed to feel more. She needed to feel all of Alex.

"This is fucking crazy." Alex smiled and said as she pulled away from Piper and took a look around at their less than clean surroundings.

"Come here…" Piper grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her towards her once again "…Let me show you what's fucking crazy."

Piper held eye contact with Alex as she guided her hand to the top of her waistband and slowly slipped it inside her underwear.

"Fuck" Alex closed her eyes and exhaled as she felt Piper's wetness cover her hand.

"All for you…" Piper said as she leaned close to Alex and whispered in her ear.

Alex raised her eyebrows and smiled suggestively.

"I need you to take me home Al. Now."

Alex nodded and kissed Piper hard, her hand not moving from the blonde's underwear until it was absolutely necessary.

The feel of Piper's wetness was almost enough to send Alex over the edge on it's own. As she grabbed her hand, guided her out in to the street and eventually into a cab, Alex felt her own underwear dampen at the thought of what the night might hold.

Piper had never been a massive fan of public displays of affection but sitting in the back of that cab on the way to Alex's apartment was when her mind changed. She couldn't keep her hands off of Alex and she didn't want to. She swung her right leg over Alex's thighs as the brunette's hand rested on her ass. Their mouths didn't part for a second and Piper moved her hands from Alex's hair to the hem of her shirt. She pulled the tucked shirt out from Alex's jeans and quickly slipped her hand underneath. Her hand found Alex's breast and she squeezed and massaged it through the material of her bra.

She heard Alex struggle to keep the moans from escaping her mouth and this only turned Piper on more.

"Piper, wait, what about the taxi driver?" Alex said, suddenly aware that they had an audience.

"Fuck him." Piper said as she continued to kiss Alex before pulling away abruptly "Actually… no… don't… fuck me."

She looked in to Alex's eyes as the words came out of her mouth and could see the need and hunger in them.

Alex quickly placed her lips back on Piper's. She pushed towards her to the point that she was almost on top of her. They kissed passionately, their tongues exploring the inside of the other's mouth. Alex's hand sat on Piper's knee and slowly moved upwards. Piper felt a shiver race through her entire body as Alex's hand grazed her thigh and was now only centimetres from her centre. She struggled to control her gasps as Alex's hand didn't stop. She gently rubbed and massaged Piper between her legs over the material of her tight jeans.

"Mmmm." Escaped her mouth as her own hands continued to massage Alex's breasts.

They both stopped what they were doing as the cab slowed and pulled up outside of Alex's apartment. Piper felt a mixture of emotion as it did. Disappointment that Alex's touch was now gone but excitement knowing that the show could continue when they were finally alone.

Alex threw some cash at the driver and jumped out of the cab. She held out her hand for Piper which she quickly grabbed hold of as they made their way into the building and towards the elevator.

They both stood stationary in the elevator, staring ahead and clutching on to the others hand. If Piper so much as looked at Alex she knew she wouldn't be able to control herself.

Alex stood outside her door and struggled to find her keys. The reason for the struggle came from Piper who was stood behind her. She had her body pressed against Alex's and her hands reached around to Alex's front and began to massage both her breasts, all the while her lips placed soft, sweet kisses on the brunette's neck. Eventually, Alex found her keys and they were soon both inside the apartment.

Alex wasted no time. She threw her jacket and bag to the ground and pushed Piper against the front door. She kissed her softly, a kiss full of love.

"Come on…" she said as she held out her hand for Piper.

Piper grabbed hold of it and followed Alex into the bedroom.

Alex sat down on the bed and grabbed hold of Piper's hips. She smiled as Piper climbed on top and showered her with kisses.

Alex lay back as the couple faced each other on the bed. Piper's hand rested on Alex's ass as Alex cupped her cheek with her warm palm.

"Are you ok?" Alex asked. She knew Piper had never done this with a woman before and she wanted to make sure she took care of her.

"I'm perfect. And so are you. I love you Alex."

"I love you too baby." Alex replied before placing her lips on the blondes.

Their kiss quickly turned passionate and Piper felt herself go weak as Alex's hands massaged her breasts. She pulled at the hem of Alex's tank top and pulled it over her head. She managed to unhook her bra with one quick motion and after seconds it was on the floor. Piper pulled away from Alex's lips as her breasts fell free. She quickly covered her already hard nipples with her mouth and sucked gently. As she did, Alex pulled Piper's top off and unhooked her bra with expert skill. Piper continued sucking gently on Alex's nipple as she took the other in between her thumb and forefinger. She squeezed it gently, just as she does to her own nipples when she masturbates.

"That feels so good, baby, don't stop." Alex said breathily as Piper continued to work on her breasts.

Before long, Alex sat up in bed and Piper was now straddling her. She kissed her way from Pipers lips, down her neck and to her chest before taking her nipple into her mouth. Piper's breathing intensified as she held Alex's head close.

Alex looked up at her and smiled as she unbuttoned Pipers jeans and slowly began to pull them down. She flipped Piper over and kneeled on the bed as she helped her out of her jeans. She threw them on the floor before she removed the rest of her own clothes and was now standing naked at the edge of the bed.

Piper's eyes grew wide as she looked Alex up and down. She didn't lose eye contact with the brunette as she slid her own underwear down her legs and threw the black lace panties to the floor.

"Get over here." She said.

Alex didn't need to be asked twice. She lay next to Piper and kissed her passionately. Her hand cupped her cheek and slowly moved down her neck. It grazed over her breasts to her stomach and continued to move South. Alex didn't stop.

"Spread your legs." She whispered in Piper's ear and Piper done exactly what was asked of her. Alex's hands lightly traced Piper's wet folds before her finger made it's way slowly from her opening to her clit, becoming covered in the blonde's wetness as it did.

Despite all of Piper' efforts to hold back, she let out soft moans of pleasure as Alex's finger drew circles on her clit. Alex's finger got faster and faster as Piper's breathing increased. Suddenly she stopped and removed her lips from Piper's. She brought her hand up to her mouth and licked Piper's juices off her moistened fingers. Piper was curious and she guided Alex's finger into her own mouth, tasting herself as Alex smiled up at her.

Alex placed her lips against Piper's once more and kissed her deeply. She moved in between Piper's spread legs so both their centres were pressed hard against each other. Piper longed for Alex's fingers on her clit again but as Alex began to grind into her she experienced a whole different type of pleasure surge through her. She moaned out loud as the tension built inside of her.

Alex moaned too as her sex pressed against Piper's. She kissed Piper's lips and slowly worked her way down. Before long, she was placing wet kisses on the insides of Piper's thighs as she moved slowly to her centre and pressed her lips against against Piper's wet folds. She kissed softly before thrusting her tongue inside her opening and tasting all of her. Alex moaned at the taste of Piper against her tongue as Piper's head involuntarily threw back at the feel of Alex inside of her. Alex moved one of her hands up Piper's body and rested it on her breast, Piper's erect nipple rubbing against Alex's palm.

Beads of sweat started to form on Piper's head as Alex's tongue continued to thrust in and out of her. Piper wanted more, she wanted to feel more. Alex read her mind. Her tongue moved from Piper's opening to her clit, licking all of her juices on the way. With her free hand, Alex quickly slid two fingers into the blonde. Piper moaned out and arched her back as Alex began working her with her fingers while drawing circles on her clit.

"Fuck… Alex… Baby…" Piper said as she began to thrust against Alex's fingers. She was close and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

Alex increased her speed and curled her fingers hitting Piper's g-spot as she did.

"Fuuuuuuck…" Piper screamed as she felt her walls begin to contract around Alex's fingers. Alex sucked on Piper's clit hard as she came and Piper's sunk into the bed as the aftershocks ran through her.

"Oh my God. That was… amazing." Piper said as Alex began to kiss her way up the blonde's body before meeting her lips.

Alex chuckled and smiled lovingly at Piper.

"Can I… um… Can I do you?" she asked.

"You don't have to ask." Alex laughed.

Piper kissed Alex greedily. She could still taste herself on Alex tongue but that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to taste what Alex tasted like.

"Mmm baby…" Alex moaned as Piper moved lower and soon found herself between Alex's legs. She knew what she wanted and she didn't hold back.

She spread Alex's lips slowly as she grazed her finger over the brunette's clit. Alex was dripping wet and Piper couldn't help feel a wave of pride knowing that she was responsible for it. Her tongue quickly moved to Alex's opening as she tasted her for the first time. It was exactly how she imagined she would taste and she couldn't help but moan out loud as her tongue became covered in Alex's sweet juices.

"Piper… fuck me…" Alex said breathily as both her hands moved to cup her own breasts. Piper took her fingers and slid them easily inside Alex's wet opening.

"More…" Alex whispered as Piper easily added a third finger.

She began to thrust slowly as Alex's moans grew louder. Her mouth quickly found her clit and she sucked on it as Alex raised her hips to thrust against Piper's fingers.

Piper sped up her thrusts as Alex's breathing increased and the deep, husky moans from her mouth became intense. Before long Piper could feel Alex pulsate around her fingers as she came to a screaming orgasm against Piper's hand.

"Fuck…" Alex smiled as she pulled Piper towards her and felt her lips once more. Alex wrapped her arms around Piper and held her close. Their legs were tangled in each others and Piper rested her head on Alex's bare chest.

It took them a long time to come down from their high as they sunk into each other and panted until they got their breath back

"So what do I call you now? Since you're no longer my Professor..." Piper asked.

"Call me whatever you want kid." Alex said as she kissed Piper's forehead and the blonde relaxed in to her lover's arms.


	14. Graduation

Piper had always hated the morning. There was something about it that she just didn't enjoy. She didn't enjoy the solitude of lying in her own bed and watching the world go by through her bedroom window. She also didn't enjoy the thought of another unknown day full of unknown events approaching. For the past two weeks, however, the morning was Piper's favourite time of the day. The reason for that was purely down to the woman she loved who was sleeping next to her.

Today may have been her favourite morning yet.

She woke up with the sun streaming through the window and the sounds of many New Yorkers starting their day. She could hear cars screeching to a halt on the road outside and pedestrians shouting obscenities in anger yet she felt completely at peace.

She turned on to her side so she was now face to face with Alex. The brunettes arm was thrown over Piper's stomach where it had been all night. Piper grazed her cheek lightly with her thumb and placed the softest of kisses on Alex's forehead. She was still sound asleep and Piper didn't want to wake her. Over the past couple of weeks, Piper had found out that Alex was definitely not a morning person – at least not until the first cup of coffee was down.

Since their first lovemaking session, Piper had practically spent all of her time at Alex's apartment. She counted her blessings every morning that she was the one who got to lay beside her and fall asleep next to her every night.

Piper held her close and watched her as she slept. Even unconscious, Alex was still the most beautiful woman Piper had ever seen. She became captivated by her beauty and watched her chest rise and fall in line with her breathing. She didn't know how long she had been watching her sleep for, time ran away when they were together but she would happily lay there all day if she could.

"What are you staring at blondie?" The words sounded muffled and groggy but they were crystal clear to Piper's ears. She smiled realising that even with her eyes closed, Alex knew exactly what Piper was doing.

"Oh nothing. Just my gorgeous girlfriend, that's all." Piper smiled.

Alex returned a quick smile which was soon replaced by a loud yawn, eye rub and muscle stretch.

"Even in the mornings I love you…" Alex chucked "…But right now I need coffee. Lots of coffee."

"No, you don't need coffee." Piper replied as she placed a gentle kiss on Alex's soft lips.

"If I want to wake up at any point today I do."

"I have another way to wake you up."

Alex raised her eyebrows and a suggestive smirk appeared on her face when Piper suggested a special early morning wake up call.

Piper didn't give Alex a chance to reply. Before she could utter a sound, Piper's lips were pressed against Alex's. She kissed her deeply, biting her bottom lip slightly and using her tongue to increase the passion. Alex's hands got tied up in Piper's golden blonde hair as she returned her kiss. Piper quickly removed Alex's baggy sleep t-shirt and threw it to the floor. She manoeuvred her arm under the covers and spread Alex's legs before strategically placing herself between them. She felt Alex smile into their kiss as she got into position. She left a trail of kisses from Alex's lips, down her neck, over her breasts and down her toned stomach. She stopped as she reached the waistband of her black boy shorts. With both hands she pulled them down gently over her legs and dropped them to the floor. She pulled the covers over her head and began to kiss and massage Alex's inner thighs. The scent of Alex's sex told Piper that she didn't need any teasing.

Alex tangled her hands up in Piper's blonde locks as Piper licked gently at Alex's wet, swollen lips. Her tongue darted inside of Alex's opening taking in the taste of her now familiar juices. She inserted her two fingers deeply inside the brunette as she rocked Alex back and forth against her long fingers. Her tongue circled her clit as Alex pulsated against her fingers. Piper loved hearing the deep moans come from Alex's mouth when she came. It turned her on every time.

Piper kissed her way back up Alex's body and their lips pressed together passionately. Alex smiled when she tasted herself on Piper's mouth. Her lips moved to Piper's nipples where they sucked gently sending a shiver through the blonde's body.

Alex moved Piper on top of her before shifting her own body down the bed so Piper's soaking wet centre was hovering over Alex's mouth. Alex wrapped her arms around Piper's thighs before lowering her on to her mouth. Piper moaned as she came into contact with Alex's tongue. Her tongue thrust inside of her before moving to her clit where she drew light circles. Piper grabbed the headboard as she started to move back and forth on Alex's mouth. She felt waves of pleasure come over her when Alex sucked on her swollen clit as she began to ride her face.

Alex held her close as she gripped on to the headboard before coming to a screaming orgasm over her face sending shivers and warmth through her entire body.

When the aftershocks had passed, they both collapsed back on the mattress into each other's arms.

"Did I ever tell you that you're really good at that?" Piper asked.

"A couple times."

Alex smiled and kissed Piper softly before resting her hand on the blonde's lower back. They were lying face to face and their foreheads were pressed against each other's. Alex cheekily kissed and bit at the end of Piper's nose.

Even on as big a day as today was, Piper would still rather spend it in bed with Alex.

"I have to go, Al. I'm already running late."

Alex frowned dramatically and clutched on to Piper's waist. Piper laughed as she did.

"I can't be late for my own graduation. You'll be there today right?" Piper asked.

"I'm your girlfriend. I wouldn't miss it for the world, kid…" Alex replied as she tucked a strand of Piper's hair behind her ear "…Plus I kinda have to be there since I was the Professor for the graduating class and all."

"Shut up." Piper chuckled and playfully pushed Alex's arm.

Piper stood from the bed and quickly put her clothes on. Alex's eyes stayed glued to her naked body the entire time.

"Ok. I'll see you later today." Piper said as she was dressed and began to make her way out of Alex's apartment.

"Wait, wait, wait…" Alex said as Piper turned back to face her from the doorway "…No goodbye kiss for me on our two week anniversary?"

Piper smiled as she made her way back to Alex. She was touched that Alex remembered that it was exactly two weeks since they had officially become 'girlfriends'. She was overwhelmed with this new romantic side of Alex that she never would've imagined even existed.

Piper kneeled on the bed over Alex and kissed her deeply. Their tongues intertwined as their mouths moved in sync. She felt Alex moan slightly in to the kiss. Every time she did that, a shiver sent its way through Piper's entire body.

"One to remember until we can be together again tonight." Piper whispered in Alex's ear before making her way out of the apartment.

Piper walked the streets of New York that separated hers and Alex's apartments. It wasn't a long walk but it allowed her some thinking time before the big day.

She struggled to believe that today was the day she'd worked so hard for over the past four years. She hated to admit it but she was actually proud of herself. She was proud that all the work and effort she had put in had finally paid off. She was proud that she was the first person in her family to graduate. She was proud that she was now at the finish line while so many others dropped out halfway through the race. Most of all, she was proud that even through times of intense self-realisation and massive changes, she stayed true to herself and always thought about what was best for her and her future. Now she had everything she had ever wanted – a degree, a good job and a tall, hot, beautiful girlfriend who loved her.

"Piper! Where the hell have you been? We're going to be late!" Polly exclaimed as Piper made her way through the front door of her apartment.

"Relax, Pol. We have plenty of time."

"Yeah… plenty of time if you don't take 2 hours to get ready."

Piper chuckled and watched as her friend ran around the apartment in a frenzy with her white robe on and curlers in her hair.

"Oh…" Polly remembered as she ran towards the bathroom "…those came for you."

Polly was gesturing to the large bouquet of beautiful flowers that sat on the side table. Piper thought they'd be from her Mom. Mrs Chapman was a massive fan of sending flowers and Piper knew how much she was looking forward to graduation day and bragging about it to her friends whose children had never seen the inside of a University.

She took out the card from the bouquet and gave the words a once over.

Congratulations Pipes.

I'm so proud of you and I can't wait to see you up on that stage today.

I love you.

A

Piper read the words over and over again before smiling and placing the card to her chest. She kissed it and put it safely in her purse. She knew it would be a memory she'd want to treasure for years to come. She was so touched by these small gestures from Alex. She genuinely felt like she was living in a dream world – one which she never wanted to escape from.

She put the flowers in a vase of fresh water and darted upstairs to get ready. She really was running late.

Despite all of Polly's worries, Piper was still dressed and ready to leave before her.

"Finally!" she exclaimed as Polly came down the hall and they made their way into their booked cab which was beeping impatiently outside.

"Are you nervous?" Polly asked as their cab made its way to the graduation hall at Litchfield University.

"No. I'm relieved today is finally here actually." Piper replied genuinely.

"I'm nervous as shit."

"Why?" Piper chuckled.

"I'm scared I'll trip on the stage and become one of those awful YouTube clips everyone in the world has seen."

"I'll be sure to have the whole thing filmed in case you decide you want to become an internet sensation after all."

Piper laughed and Polly mock imitated her.

"So, are you parents coming?"

"Yeah. My Mom, My Dad, Cal and Neri will all be there."

"What about… you know who?" Polly asked and Piper struggled to contain her laughter at her friend's incognito efforts.

"Do you mean Alex?" She smiled.

Polly nodded.

"Yeah. She'll be there." Piper replied and a smile instantly graced her face.

"Those were nice flowers she sent you." Polly said as she turned to look at her friend.

"How did you know who they were from?"

"Well I thought they'd be from your Mom because I know she sends you flowers at every possible opportunity but then I saw the smile on your face when you read the card. I've only seen you smile like that for one person."

The friends shared a sweet smile and Piper could feel Polly's genuine happiness for her.

"God, I'm sweating…" Polly said as she used an old magazine that lay on the floor of the cab to fan her face "…Pete is meeting my parents today, I think that is adding to my anxiety."

Piper took Polly's hand into her own and turned to face her friend.

"Polly… It's all going to be ok, I promise. You are not going to fall on the stage and embarrass yourself. Your parents are going to love Pete as much as you do. Please don't worry. Everything is going to be fine."

"Thanks Pipes." Polly smiled.

A few minutes later they had pulled up outside Litchfield. They quickly changed into their robes as they really were running late and took their place in the front row of the Graduation Hall. All guests and staff sat further back so Piper couldn't see if her parents or Alex were there. She felt their presence, however.

As the ceremony started, Piper listened intently as the Dean made his speech and watched as students from other classes walked across the stage to receive their awards. It took her everything she had to keep her head straight and looking forward. All she wanted to do was catch a glimpse of Alex.

After what seemed like hours and thousands of students, it was now Piper's moment.

"And, finally, to close today's ceremony with this year's Valedictorian Speech, please welcome Piper Chapman." The Dean announced as Piper stood and made her way to the stage.

Around one week ago, Piper was told that she was this year's Valedictorian. As it turns out, the 84% that her Mother put down, was actually the highest mark of her graduating class and the Dean felt Piper was the perfect candidate for Valedictorian. She enjoyed rubbing that in her Mother's face.

She had spent days preparing her speech and as much as it came naturally, she was a perfectionist and she didn't stop working on it until it was as good as it possibly could be.

She made her way to the podium and looked out into the crowd. She saw her family smiling and nodding towards her. She returned their smile and her gaze was immediately drawn to Alex who was sitting at the other side of the hall. Even in a crowd as big as today's was, Piper could immediately pick out Alex. She was drawn to her in more ways than one.

Alex smiled and winked in support to Piper.

She cleared her throat and looked down at the paper in front of her.

Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a great honour to be here today speaking to all of you. I can't believe we actually made it! First off I would like to express my appreciation to all of my Professors, friends, family members and classmates. Especially to those who helped me get to where I am now; standing here in front of you. Four years ago I was a nervous, shy, young freshman who didn't know what the years ahead would hold. Today I stand here as a confident young woman who knows what she wants out of life. That confidence came from the great teachings that I experienced here at Litchfield and for that I will be eternally grateful.

I was apprehensive when I first came to this prestigious University. I didn't know what to expect. My worries were gone on the first day. Both staff and students alike were welcoming and helpful and without this help, I know I wouldn't have enjoyed University life as much as I have.

With your dedication and support I was able to take advantage of the opportunities put in front of me. I climbed the ranks and would've been happy knowing I would achieve half of what I actually have. None of this was down to me alone.

Everyone should be proud of the achievements they've accomplished here at Litchfield and always know that you've achieved something great just by sitting here today with your degrees in hand. Looking forward, always try to be happy. Success is what we're all here for but without happiness, success is nothing.

Personally, I would like to thank my family and friends: My Mom for always making me work harder and never allowing me to slack off in any way; My Dad for cracking jokes to cheer me up when all I could do was worry about upcoming exams; My brother Cal and sister in-law Neri for being wonderfully crazy and making me realise that life shouldn't always be taken so seriously and to my best friend Polly for her constant support and love throughout the many tumultuous years. Without you guys, it's pretty simple, I wouldn't standing here today so from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

There's someone else who I'd like to thank and that person knows who they are. Without you, these past few weeks would have been impossible. I was stressed, I was under a lot of pressure and I was insecure. Insecure because I felt repressed. I felt like I could never be the person I was born to be, never be the person who would make me happy. It was bringing me down and I was living a lie, then you walked into my life and flipped it 180. Because of you, I leave this University sure of who I am and content with it - that is the greatest gift I could ever be given. You've changed my life and made me happier than I ever imagined I would be so for that, thank you. I look forward to our future because I know it will be spent together.

Whatever you do in life, classmates, always remember to love. I was never really sure what love was. I often wondered if I would ever experience it at all but now that I have, I know that nothing will ever take it away. Nothing will ever take away those butterflies in your stomach or the smile upon your face. As long as we have love in our lives, we can achieve the impossible.

As a class we are a powerhouse of creativity and determination. Let us always push boundaries and change the world for the better even in the smallest of ways.

Never forget where you came from and never forget where you're going.

Thank you, Good Luck and Congratulations.

Piper looked out into the crowd and watched as the audience stood and cheered. Again, she was immediately drawn to Alex who was carefully wiping away the tears from her eyes. Piper smiled as their gaze met and Alex formed her hands into a heart symbol which Piper knew was for her. Cal was also wiping away the tears from his eyes but Piper assumed that was more to do with him getting excited when he heard his name in the speech rather than feeling actual pride for his sister.

Regardless of their reasons, Piper knew that her family and Alex were proud of her and that feeling alone caused the tears to build in her own eyes.

"Piper? Sweetie?" Piper heard her Mom call out as they exited the graduation hall and made their way on to the greener than green garden for photo time.

"Hey Mom" she smiled as she walked over the grass and met up with her parents.

Her Mom, Dad, Cal and Neri all took turns to hug her and congratulate her. She thanked them but there was only one person she wanted to hug right now. She looked around and within seconds found Alex. She was standing only a few feet away watching as one of her classes posed for their photos.

"Excuse me for a second…" Piper started before making her way over to Alex.

She looked her up and down as she got closer. Despite her wearing tight black jeans, long boots, a black blouse and dark sunglasses, Alex shone brighter than the sun. Piper stood behind her and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. Alex turned around quickly and Piper pulled her into a tight embrace.

She had watched other students hug their professors in thanks so she knew she and Alex were in the clear. Although they didn't need to keep things on the down low anymore, they were both reluctant to have all the attention focused on them so they chose to keep the PDA to a minimum.

"You're a fucking superstar kid" Alex said as Piper held her close.

"I really wish I could kiss you right now."

"Me too." Alex whispered.

Sadly, kissing would most definitely be noticed by others so for now it was off limits.

"Later." Alex mouthed as Piper broke the embrace.

Piper had never been a day dreamer. She always managed to keep concentration when it matter and rarely slipped into her own imaginary world. With Alex, everything was different. Anytime they had a moment alone, she felt herself captivated by her eyes. It happened again in that moment. She got lost in Alex's eyes and in the middle of a crowded field full of young students and many proud parents Piper felt like she and Alex were the only two people in the world. Fate had a habit of pulling them both abruptly out of those daydreams, however, and today was no different.

"Piper, are you ready to go?"

Piper turned her neck away from Alex to be faced with her entire family standing behind her.

"Um… yeah… I guess…"

Her Mom had planned a lunch at her house which Piper was fully aware of but now wished she wasn't.

She could see her family eye Alex wondering who the woman was who was just holding their daughter. Piper knew she had to attempt to break the awkwardness that was surrounding them.

"Mom, Dad, this is Professor Vause." Piper said as she watched her parents gaze turn to Alex.

Alex pushed her sunglasses through her hair so they rested on her head and held her hand out in acknowledgement.

"Mr and Mrs Chapman, it's great to meet you…"

Both of her parents shook Alex's hand. Her Dad introduced himself and cracked a joke with Alex about teachers and graduation day. It was a boring joke and it fell flat with the rest of the group yet Alex laughed genuinely and Piper smiled towards her. She knew Alex wouldn't have found the joke remotely funny yet she laughed in respect to her Dad. Her Mother didn't say a word in Alex's direction, however. Instead she smiled quickly while she shook the Professors hand then made her excuses.

"We better get going, Piper. Lunch is cooking at home." Her Mom said, gesturing to Piper to hurry up.

"Ok. I'm just gonna say goodbye to a few people. I'll meet you guys by the car."

Her parents nodded and Piper watched her family leave before she turned to face Alex once more.

"I'm going to tell my family about us today."

Piper knew she had to tell them at some point. She was possibly dreading it more than she had been dreading telling Larry. She knew her Mom would have her opinions. The truth was that Piper didn't care anymore. She didn't care what anyone thought of her relationship with another woman. She was happier than she'd ever been and she wanted to share that with the world. She knew her parents were happy and proud of her today so she picked this as the perfect time to share her secret.

"What?! Baby are you sure?" Alex asked. She looked concerned and reached out to grab Piper's hand before realising where they were and placed it slowly into her jeans pocket.

"Yeah I'm sure. I don't want to have to hide us anymore Al."

Alex smiled.

"How do you think they'll react?"

"Honestly? I don't know. It won't phase Cal in the slightest. It'll take my Dad some getting used to but he'll get there. It's my Mom I'm worried about."

"Maybe she'll be ok with it. My Mom was fine with the whole thing."

Alex took Piper by surprised, but a small smile quickly replaced the look of shock on her face.

"You've told your Mom about me?"

"I told her about you a few days after we met Pipes…" Alex chuckled "…I call her every few days and she always asks how you're doing. She can't wait to meet you."

Piper didn't have the words. Instead she threw her arms around Alex for the second time that morning.

"I love you." She whispered as Alex wrapped her arms tightly around Piper's back.

"I love you too…" Alex continued as she let go of Piper "…Good luck and please call me as soon as it's done and tell me how it went."

Piper nodded.

"I'll see you later." She smiled and turned to walk towards her waiting family. She could feel Alex's eyes on her the entire way.

The journey back to her parents' house went by quickly and she enjoyed Cal and Neri's stories about life in the wilderness during the ride. The smell of freshly made sandwiches and nibbles hit her as soon as she entered her parent's town house. Before long she was sat at the table with a plate full of food and a glass of champagne staring up at her.

"I know these past few years have been tough but you've pushed through and now you've made it. We love you very much and we're so proud of you. To Piper." Her Dad raised his glass in toast and "To Piper" echoed around the table as the others followed.

Piper felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she smiled instantly knowing it would be Alex asking how she was getting on with the big reveal. Her smile didn't go unnoticed. Her Mother finished her last bit of food and turned to face her daughter.

"You look very happy sweetie. Happier than I think I've ever seen you before."

"I am happy Mom" Piper smiled. A smile which was quickly returned by her Mother.

"Does your happiness have anything to do with the person you thanked on stage today?" Mrs Chapman enquired. Piper knew her Mother wouldn't be able to wait to bring the 'mystery person' up in conversation. Thankfully for Piper, that is exactly where she wanted the chat to go so she allowed her Mom to steer the ship.

"Actually, yes it does…"

Her family looked at her from around the table willing her to continue.

"Mom, I know I told you when we were on vacation that I was in love with someone. I told you that was the reason I ended things with Larry. It's true. I'm in love with someone and I'm happy and in a relationship. But there's something I have to tell you guys. I've really struggled to think of the words I should use to tell you but I haven't been able to find them so I guess I'll just say it as best as I can… I'm in a relationship with a woman. Before you say anything, there's more I have to say. I'm in a relationship with Alex Vause. You met her today. She was my substitute Professor for the last month of my time at Litchfield. We've been together for a few weeks now…"

Piper looked up to see all sets of eyes focused on her and a confused look on both her parent's faces. After what seemed like a lifetime of silence, her Mom finally spoke.

"You're a lesbian?"

"What? No, Mom, I'm not a lesbian."

"But you're telling me you're in a relationship with a woman…" her Mom now looked even more confused.

"Yes. I'm not gay and I'm definitely not straight. I guess I fall somewhere on the spectrum. The fact is that I'm in love with Alex. Her gender isn't important. She's an incredible person who makes me endlessly happy and I could never walk away from that just because she is a woman."

Another moment of silence passed.

"Well good for you Pipes" Cal said as he stood up from the table, grabbed his plate and made his way towards the kitchen for seconds.

"Yeah. I hope you guys are really happy together." Neri smiled as she followed.

"Plus, she's damn hot." Cal said and Neri punched him on the bicep as they left the room.

Piper couldn't help but smile at her brother. She watched as her Mom and Dad desperately tried to process the information she'd just given them.

"Look, I know this is a lot to take in and I understand if it takes you a while to get used to it…"

"She is your Professor Piper…" her Father interrupted "…don't you think that's incredibly irresponsible?"

"Nothing happened between us until after I left Litchfield. Alex was sure of that. She wouldn't allow us to be together when she worked there knowing it could jeopardize both of our futures."

Her father nodded but Mrs Chapman remained silent.

"This is who I am. It's who I always have been. Only now have I become comfortable enough to accept it and talk about it. I really hope I haven't let you guys down. All I want is for you to be proud of me…" Piper stopped as she felt the tears build in her eyes and her voice was rocked with emotion.

"Oh, Piper…" her father said as moved to the seat next to her and put a supportive arm around her shoulders.

"Who you love makes no difference to us. We love you no matter what and your happiness is what's important. We're the proudest parents in the world today."

"Really?" Piper looked up at her Father as the tears began to fall.

"Yes, really…" he replied "…Why don't you invite Alex out to dinner with us tonight?"

Piper was shocked at her Father's suggestion. She knew he'd eventually come round to the idea of her being in a relationship with another woman but she didn't expect it so soon. Still, she wasn't sure that she wanted too much too soon.

"Oh…I don't know Dad…I mean she…"

"Piper…" her father interrupted once more "…she is part of the family now and I think we'd all like to get a chance to meet her properly. Right Carol?" he looked over at Pipers Mom.

"Yes. Exactly." She smiled.

She knew behind her Mothers smile there were still hundreds of unanswered questions. It would take her Mom much longer to get used to Piper's new lifestyle but at least she'd made the first step.

"Ok." Piper smiled as she made her way to the living area to read Alex's earlier text.

Alex: I can't concentrate on anything today. I hope it's going ok baby. Let me know whenever you can.

Piper: All done. It went surprisingly well actually. My Mom is still not saying much but she'll get there.

Alex: That's great! So everyone is cool?

Piper: Better than cool actually… My Dad asked if you'd want to come to dinner with us tonight?

Alex: Wow…that is cool. What did you say?

Piper: I said I'd ask you…

Alex: Ah. Well I'd love to come to dinner with all of you.

Piper: You would?

Alex: Of course I would you idiot.

Piper: Awesome. Polly is staying at Pete's tonight so we can go to my place after dinner for dessert…

Alex: Mmm… Can't wait ;)

Piper spent the rest of the afternoon napping on her parents couch in their lounge before heading home and getting dressed for their dinner. Right on time, she heard Alex's car horn beeping from outside. They had arranged that Alex would pick Piper up from her apartment and they'd meet her parents, Cal and Neri at the restaurant.

"Wow… you look amazing." Piper said as soon as she stepped in to the car and saw Alex.

She was wearing a mid-length black lace dress and heels. Her legs looked incredible and Piper wished they were wrapped around her waist at that very moment.

"Are you sure? You don't think this dress makes me look kinda frumpy?" Alex looked worried.

"Baby, you look incredible. The dress makes you look so good that I'd rather rip it off you right now than see you actually wearing it."

Alex smiled and raised her eyebrows at the suggestion. Piper could sense she was nervous which was an emotion Alex didn't experience often. Piper knew she was taking this seriously.

She reached over and took Alex's hand in her own.

"Don't worry. They're going to love you, I promise." She smiled and placed a soft kiss on Alex's lips.

The journey to the restaurant was short and before long they were parked outside Celino's. Alex was quiet for the entire car ride and Piper tried her best to calm her down.

"You ready?" Alex said as they prepared to enter the restaurant.

"Not yet…" Piper said as she leaned over to the driver's side of the car and kissed Alex passionately.

"Ok. Now I'm ready" she continued as their lips parted. Alex smiled and both women exited the vehicle. Piper entered the restaurant first, Alex only centimetres behind. She turned and smiled to Alex as they made their way to her family who were already seated at the back of the restaurant.

Celino's was one of New York's oldest Italian restaurants. It was small with an intimate atmosphere topped off with dim lights, scented candles and soft Italian music. The smell of the delicious food automatically made your mouth water.

"You made it sweetie." Piper's Dad said when they eventually reached their table. He kissed her on the cheek before returning to his seat. Her Mother just smiled in her general direction, looking Alex up and down as she did.

"Whatsupp Pipes." Cal waved from the table.

Piper smiled in return.

"You guys remember Alex…" Piper said to the table.

"Of course we do…" Her father replied before kissing Alex on the cheek. "It's lovely to properly meet you Alex."

Alex looked surprised in the best way possible and Piper could tell her nerves were beginning to settle.

"Nice to see you all again."

"Take a seat girls. The wine has already been ordered." Her Dad smiled as the women sat down opposite Mr and Mrs Chapman – Cal and Neri choosing to sit further down the table in their own strange way.

Before long, the wine was poured and the food had been ordered. Mrs Chapman remained silent but Piper chose not to entertain it. Her Dad was much more sociable.

"So, Alex, what made you get in to teaching?" Her Father waited for an answer and Piper's heart jumped. She didn't want Alex to be put on the spot.

"It's what I've wanted to do since I was very young. I don't remember exactly what it was that made me stop and think 'you know what I wanna teach' but whatever it was, I'll be eternally grateful to it. I love having a positive impact in someone's life. I love being able to have the influence to change someone's life for the better. It makes me happy. Seeing students like Piper today collect their rewards for all their hard work and seeing the pride on parent's faces makes it all worthwhile."

"Well cheers to that…" Mr Chapman laughed and raised his glass.

Piper smiled in Alex's direction before placing her hand on top of her girlfriends which was resting next to her wine glass. She felt her mother's eyes immediately dart to their touching hands but it didn't faze her. Alex returned her smile and Piper stroked the top of her hand with her thumb before interlocking their fingers and keeping them clasped together until their dinner arrived.

The food was incredible and Piper felt unable to move when she had finished. The chat had gone better than expected and Alex and her Dad had really hit it off. They were discussing everything from Politics to the latest chart music and Piper couldn't control the happiness and relief she felt. She just wished her Mom had put in more of an effort.

"I'm just going to nip to the ladies room" Piper whispered to Alex before she left the table.

Alex nodded and watched her leave.

Piper was topping up her makeup when she saw her Mom enter the empty bathroom. She smiled towards her but Piper struggled to return the smile. She was annoyed that her Mom hadn't attempted to make an effort with Alex. Not surprisingly, her Mother sensed her disappointment.

"Listen, sweetie, this isn't as easy for me as it is for your Father…"

"Yeah, I guessed that." Piper interrupted.

"I'm sorry if I've seemed a bit standoff-ish with Alex. It's just taken me a while to get my head around it..."

"Well I suggest you…"

"Wait Piper. Let me finish" Her Mom interrupted.

"I can see the way she looks at you and I know she'd never hurt you. That is all I care about. If you're happy then I'm happy too. So, you have my blessing."

"I do?" Piper smiled.

"Yes. You both do."

Piper threw her arms around her Mother and hugged her genuinely for the first time in a very long time before making her way back to their table and back to Alex.

"You okay?" Alex asked as she watched Piper return to their table closely followed by her Mom.

"Perfect." Piper smiled.

After she got comfortable in her seat, Piper's hand made its way under the table and relaxed on Alex's bare thigh. Alex was mid conversation with Mr Chapman at the time but Piper watched her smile as she felt the skin to skin contact. Her hand stayed in that position for the next half hour until her Father stepped outside for a cigarette and her Mother queued at the bar for another bottle of wine, leaving them alone at the table.

Alex smiled at Piper and quickly pecked her lips.

"You have no idea how much I want you right now." Piper said in a low voice as she held Alex's gaze.

"Me too." Alex mouthed.

Piper relaxed back in her seat and slowly grazed Alex's thigh with her hand under the table. She continued to move upwards and pushed Alex's dress up as she did. Alex instinctively spread her legs a little wider as Piper reached the top of her thigh. She closed her eyes as Piper's hand moved over her underwear and began to rub between her legs.

"Fuck…" Alex whispered as Piper's hand continued its movements. Piper felt Alex's underwear dampen as her arousal grew.

It took everything she had to stop what she was doing as she saw her Mother walk back towards the table. One glass of wine later and there was only one thing on Piper's mind.

"Wanna get out of here?" she whispered in Alex's ear.

Alex nodded in reply.

"I think we're gonna take off now guys, we're both pretty tired." Piper said as the couple stood from their seats.

"Ok sweetie. Safe journey home. It was lovely to meet you Alex." Mrs Chapman said before quickly hugging the brunette – taking them both by surprise.

"Yes, great to meet you properly. See you again soon." Her Father added.

They said their goodbyes to the rest of the group. Alex held out her hand for Piper which she quickly grabbed hold of and they both made their way out of the restaurant with a smile on their faces.

The journey home was quick and soon the couple were back in Piper's apartment.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked as Piper took her by the hand and led her to the bathroom.

"I don't wanna shower alone." Piper replied as a suggestive smirk appeared on her face.

Piper turned the water on and the room quickly filled with steam. She kissed Alex softly as she undid the zip on her dress and watched as it fell to the floor. She slowly removed her bra and panties before their lips greedily met again. Alex quickly removed Piper's clothes before the blonde took her hand and led her to the shower.

They kissed passionately before Alex rubbed and massaged Piper's entire body with coconut body wash. She washed it off and showered her with kisses.

Alex pushed Piper against the wall, kissing her hungrily before lifting the blonde and wrapping her legs around her waist. Her hands grazed her body, massaging her breasts on the way before she reached Piper's centre. She thrust her fingers inside deeply as Piper yelled out in pleasure. She thrust hard, their lips never parting. Piper pushed against Alex's hand before moaning out loud as she began to contract against her fingers.

"Ahhh… fuck… Alex…"

"Let it go baby, I've got you."

She came hard on her fingers as Alex held her close.

Once Piper was back on her feet, she kissed Alex passionately, but there was only one area she was interested in. She dropped to her knees and threw Alex's leg over her shoulder. Her tongue quickly found her opening before moving to her clit where she licked and sucked until Alex's quickly came holding on to the blonde's head for support.

They giggled as they held each other in the shower, surrounded by the dripping hot water before they dried off, dropped the towels and made their way to the bedroom. Piper threw the duvet over them as Alex held her close. They were face to face, their mouths inches apart and their foreheads resting on each other's.

"I love you so much kid." Alex said.

Piper smiled as she was taken by surprise and once again overcome with emotion for the woman lying next to her.

"I love you too." She replied before placing her lips on the brunettes.

"So what happens now?" Piper asked "…where do we go from here?"

"Honestly, I don't care. As long as we're together and I have you by my side, we can go wherever you want." Alex replied as she stroked Piper's lower back while holding her close.

"It's just us. You and me." Alex smiled.

"Against the world."

They kissed slowly and passionately. A kiss full of love before Piper rested her head on Alex's bare chest and the couple fell into a deep, happy and relaxed sleep filled with dreams that couldn't even touch the greatness of their reality.

Finally, for the first time in her life, the void that was missing for so long was filled. Piper had everything she could ever wish for and she promised to remind herself every day how lucky she was to have someone like Alex Vause love her. This was true happiness and now that she had it, she was never letting it go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me here - jhearts.tumblr.com - and let me know what you think.


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